A Chocolate Leap In Time
by JustAnotherMadHatter
Summary: "You will go back to 1998 and make sure the Dark Lord is never defeated. Find Him and inform Him of what is to happen." Goyle stepped back and held up what had been clutched inside his fist all along: a small golden time turner. Next gen travel fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Scorpius' gray eyes were huge and anxious as he sat down next to Rose at the Gryffindor table that morning. Albus shifted his attention from his annoying brother, who was trying to levitate Roxy up from the bench again, to his worn-out looking best friend.

"Scorp?" he said, gaze scanning the frightened looking eyes with huge bags under them and the paler than usual skin of the young Malfoy. He hadn't seen him the night before; Scorp still hadn't come back to the dorm when he'd gone to bed himself. His mate shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking around him quickly, and leaned towards Albus across the table.

"I have to talk to you." He muttered, while pretending to take some toast from Al's plate. It was important, that much Al could tell by looking at his friend, and this called for some back up. Looking over at his favourite cousin, who was completely engrossed in a book, as usual, Al sent a well-aimed kick at her ankles under the table.

"OW!" Rose yelped, instantly ruining Al's hopes of appearing conspicuous, looking up from the enormous manuscript sitting on her lap towards her cousin in deep annoyance. "What the hell, Al?"

He inclined his head towards their best friend and Rose's eyes got huge as she took in Scorpius unusual state.

"Oh," she whispered, leaning towards him, voice worried. "Scorp, what's wrong?"

"Later." The blond boy stage-whispered and cautiously looked around him again. Rose's questioning gaze met Albus' dumbfounded one. They had absolutely no idea what was wrong with their friend. As Scorp got up and left the great hall without having eaten anything, Al turned his attention back towards James, a million questions turning in his head, while Rose frowned at the older Weasley cousins, who were now trying to levitate the entire Gryffindor table.

"Enough." She said in the bossy voice she'd inherited her mother and lightly tapped the golden badge on her robe, "Or I'll give you all detention, family or not."

oOo

"Scorp, what's wrong?" Al said for the third time that day as the threesome exited Potions class. His best friend had been jumpy and fidgety all day, enough that he'd actually almost blown up their work today, and he was determined to know the reason behind it.

"You're scaring us," Rose added, grabbing her friend's sleeve to stop him from running off again. The rest of the class had left the corridor by that time and Scorpius, after casting another long look around them again, nodded and pulled the two cousins into a dark corner of the empty hall.

"Something happened last night," he started and swallowed. "You guys remember Gregory Goyle?"

"He was one of your dad's friends. Before the war, I mean." Rose said slowly.

"That's right! One of Voldemort's followers." Al recalled, remembering some of his father's stories of the war (and there were quite a few of them, to be honest).

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah. The bloke was imprisoned, along with his death-eater of a father, after the war ended. And then,… Well, you know."

Albus nodded, along with Rose. They did know. Not so long ago, Goyle had been freed from Azkaban, mostly because of Scorpius' dad. Draco had pleaded his former friend's case, explaining how the two of them had only been children during the war, not understanding the consequences of their actions, and how Goyle shouldn't be punished for his father's choices. Besides, Goyle's good behaviour and "evident remorse for his inexcusable past actions", as the Prophet had said, had played in his favour, and for the first time since the fall of their dark lord, one of Voldemort's followers had been released from Azkaban. Albus remembered how everyone in his family had been shocked by the ministry's decision to let Goyle go, uncle Ron especially. James, who was really cocky and who always said that he'd have loved to participate in the war, being the idiot he was, had started cussing out the man during a family dinner, until their dad angrily shut him up. Later on, Albus had gone to ask his father what he thought about Goyle being freed,; he'd answered that he believed that everyone deserved a second chance. Sometimes, he'd said, people made the wrong choices, which didn't mean that they were evil and beyond being helped; everyone could change sides. He hadn't gone into detail, only getting that sad, empty look he always got when anyone mentioned the war, as if he was looking far into the past, and Al, who hadn't really understood what his father had meant anyway, had left him alone.

"Well, what about him?" he now asked his friend, confused. What could Gregory Goyle possibly have to do with any of Scorpius' problems?

"He came here." Scorp's voice had dropped so low that the two cousins were forced to move even closer to him so they could hear his whispers. "To Hogwarts. My dad sent me a letter, ordering I go see him but saying that I couldn't let anyone know about him being here."

"That's where you'd gone to last night!" Rose whispered and Albus shushed her, eyes glued to Scorpius. He was getting a really bad feeling about all of this.

"We met in the clock tower, and it was creepy, honestly. The guy is completely off his rocker, kept saying it was time someone did something to change things. He told me to come back tonight, and that he would give me a mission of the utmost importance." Scorpius swallowed again. "He said I'd help bring Voldemort back."

A short silence followed.

"Weird." Al finally said, speaking out everyone's feelings.

"Totally." Rose's eyes looked close to bulging out, and she was chewing on her lip something crazy.

"He was an old friend of my father's, you know. He probably thinks I'm like him, a death eater in the making." Scorp whispered nervously. He kept tugging on his sleeve.

"Only you're not." Rose finished as the blond boy shot her a grateful look. Albus knew how hard it was for him to be a Malfoy. People used to cuss him out in the hallways with things like "Voldemort lover" and "death eater spawn". The only thing was that, Scorp was completely different from the rest of his family; first and foremost, he was in Gryffindor, and if that wasn't explanatory enough, he was also top of his class, a very friendly, quiet, smart boy. He was best friends with Rose and Albus, and close to the rest of the Weasley family, who had pretty much accepted him as one of their own, as he was always around. His father didn't know what his only son was like (or maybe he just chose not to see it), as the two of them never talked and weren't close at all.

"Are you going to go?" Al asked his friend and Scorpius shrugged.

"Well, it's not as if I have a choice, is there? My father will be furious if I don't show up."

"Scorp, you have got to tell someone." Rose said, her prefect instincts taking over, as always. "This is too big a thing for just the three of us to handle! If the guy keeps saying he wants to bring Voldemort back, then he should be rotting away in Azkaban for the rest of his life!"

"Rose, no!" Scorpius grabbed the young witch's wrist as she started to take off, most likely to the Headmistress' office. "I can't tell anyone, don't you get it? My dad would skin me alive!"

"But you have to! Who cares what your dad thinks?"

"I do." Scorpius simply answered. Despite their clear differences, it was evident that Scorpius constantly sought his always-absent father's approval.

"Well, what about James, or Fred, Rox or Dom? They might know what to do…" Albus started but the two others cut him off.

"Them? Are you kidding me? They're even more childish than Hugo-"

"Forget it! You know what James is like; he'd go and fight Goyle without even understanding what was going on-"

"OK, fine!" Albus put his hands up, as if asking for a ceasefire, "It was only a suggestion!"

"And I didn't tell you two so you could run off to tell everyone as soon as I was done speaking!" Scorpius finished nonetheless.

"Why did you tell us then? What can the two of us possibly do about this, huh?" Rose challenged angrily as Albus mutely watched the two of them argue like they always did.

"I…" Scorpius ran a hand through his blond hair and sighed in frustration. "I'd like it if the two of you went with me tonight. Just in case he gets violent or tries something crazy or something. And if he does," he added as Rose stern gaze met his, "I'll go and tell McGonagall first thing in the morning, I promise."

Rose nodded and Albus spoke up nervously. "I don't think he would try anything. It's probably just empty talk and all. The guy is crazy after all. Plus, it's not like he can actually bring Voldemort back. Right?"

"But still." Scorp added "I'd feel better if I knew that you guys were there to back me up if things got ugly."

"Right," Rose said, "well, I'm in. Al?"

Albus rolled his eyes dramatically. "Of course I'm in. What are best friends for if not to help each other stop a crazy maniac from bringing back the evilest wizard of all times to life, huh?"

Scorpius smirked and punched his shoulder lightly; suddenly, Albus' stomach growled loudly. He grinned sheepishly at Rose's exasperated look.

"I swear, sometimes you're worse than my father," she muttered as they made their way together towards the great hall for dinner.

oOo

Lily could sense something was up. For one thing, her brother, Rose and Scorpius weren't sitting with the rest of the family, which was highly unusual; the Weasley-Potter kids always sat next to each other during meals, it was almost a tradition. Whenever the threesome decided to sit elsewhere, it was always at the end of school years, when exams were coming up and Rose couldn't stand to watch her cousins mess around when she was trying to study and eat at the same time. Today was clearly not one of those days, as it was the middle of October, and sixth year wasn't even such an important year, as far as exams were concerned. Secondly, the three of them were all leaning towards each other and whispering amongst themselves in a secretive way. This could have been considered normal behaviour for James, Fred and Rox; one could assume the three trouble-seeking cousins were in the middle of pulling yet another prank. Only, this was Albus, Rose and Scorpius she was talking about, the "nerds", as James called them; the planning behaviour thus seemed pretty unusual. And lastly, the thing that was worrying Lily the most was that they all looked pretty anxious; Scorpius kept casting looks around him like he was afraid something might jump out of the shadows and come get him. Several times; Lily had noticed Al looking at the rest of the family, his eyes scared like he wanted to come and speak to the older members of the Weasley-Potter clan.

She'd gone over to them and had asked them what was going on, only to be shooed away. Lily finally resolved to speak to the others about it; she got up and went to stand behind James decidedly. Her older brother instantly turned towards her, forgetting about the joke he'd been about to tell Fred to focus entirely on his sister. James might appear arrogant and conceited at times, but truth was, he was very caring when it came to his younger siblings. Albus called him an attention-seeking moron who only cared about his hair and multiple girlfriends, but Lily did not agree with him; she knew her father has asked an eleven year old James to look after his cousins at Hogwarts, being the oldest, and James, even now that his youngest sibling had just turned fourteen, had never stopped doing so, and Lily really admired him for it. He immensely cared about his family; she wondered why Al couldn't see that and why the two of them always fought, at home as well as at school.

"What is it, Lils? Something wrong?" James asked in his older brother voice, eyes scanning the room as if she was here to ask him to get rid of a stalker for her.

"Hey. It's nothing important, don't worry."

His shoulders relaxed and he grinned at her. "Well, then what's up? I'm a very busy man, you know, so make it fast."

"It's just, I'm kind of worried about Al. He and Scorpius and Rose seem kind of weird, don't you think?" she stuck her thumb towards where the threesome was sitting at the table, talking secretly together again. James looked at the group, eyebrows furrowed. "They've been acting strange all evening."

"I'm sure it's nothing important. Maybe they lost a book or something." James grinned as Lily hit him on the arm reproachfully. She hated how her two brothers never got along; the two of them were very different, James a carefree prankster and Albus more of a lonely bookworm, but that didn't mean that they couldn't take care of each other, did it?

James sighed under her pleading look. "Fine, Lils. I'll go talk to them and make sure everything's okay, how about that?"

She smiled sweetly. "Thanks Jamie."

"No problem. What are older siblings for, huh?"

"Yeah, thank Merlin Fred and Rox weren't the oldest. They can barely take care of themselves, let alone look after someone else." Lily smirked, watching as Fred tried to balance a spoon on his nose under the applause of the Gryffindors.

"I resent that!" Fred bellowed as she walked back to her seat next to Hugo. She smiled to herself, relieved. If James was taking care of things, then there was nothing to worry about anymore.

oOo

_**Not a beautifully written piece of literature, obviously. Just having fun with Rowling's characters and trying to evade boredom. Hope you still enjoy, though! Feedback is appreciated, as always.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Albus was going through James drawers as fast as he could, a string of curse words running around non-stop in his head. If one of the dorm occupants were to come inside at that precise moment, he would be totally busted; James was so popular and generally liked that nobody would keep silent about the fact that his little brother had snuck inside his dorm to steal something from him. No one would take his side over James, not at Hogwarts where James Potter was considered the God of the school, if there was ever such a thing; the guy that everyone wanted to be friends with, that all the girls wanted to date. The shallow, annoying prick who didn't care about anyone but himself that Albus couldn't stand.

"_What? Are you mad?"_

_Scorpius rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Al, we need the invisibility cloak."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because Goyle will make sure no one's followed me, and you guys have to be there! Unless you're backing out already?"_

_Al furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms against his chest. "I'm not. But James has the invisibility cloak right now."_

_Rose rolled her eyes. "Well, just ask him for it, Al! He is your brother, after all. Merlin, I swear, you are such a drama queen…"_

"_Shut it, Rose. I'm not asking James for the cloak. He'll ask too many questions, he always does, he's in the "I'm oldest so I'll decide what's best for you" phase…"_

"_We don't have a choice!"_

"_You could always sneak inside the dorm and take it." Scorpius suggested, annoyed at the useless banter between the cousins. Rose raised her eyebrows._

"_That's not a bad idea, really."_

"_Why me?" Al pleaded, "you have no idea what James will do to me if I get caught stealing the cloak from him-"_

"_It's not stealing, not really; the cloak's yours as much as it's James' and Lily's-"_

"_Yeah, but still-"_

"_Come on, Al, be a man!" Rose finally said, grinning sadistically. "Time to take one for the team, mate."_

So there he was, acting like the worst of thieves. Where did his brother keep the cloak for Merlin's sake?

Some noise was coming from the staircase. Albus stopped moving, waiting for the voices to fade so he could continue the search. And finally, he found what he was looking for under James' pillow. Sighing in relief, Albus put their father's invisibility cloak on and left his brother's room, descending the stairs rapidly. In the packed common room, he found his two best friends sitting together at one of the tables in the corner. As nobody around was watching closely, he slipped from under the cloak and took a sit next to his cousin, rolling up the cloth and sticking it under his shirt. Rose gave a little gasp.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to you doing that." She breathed at him. Scorpius leaned closer;

"All set, then?" He whispered and the two others nodded at him. "He told me to come around midnight, so we still have some time ahead of us."

"Good," Rose said, like the nerd she was, "I've got some studying to do for the Transfiguration test next week."

Albus and Scorpius smiled at each other knowingly as Rose left to get her homework from her dorm.

The three of them were working quietly when a group of seventh years came inside the common room, talking and laughing among themselves. Their older cousins were part of the group, of course; James had his arm around his latest girlfriend, Dom was holding some guy's hand and Fred and Roxy's matching laughs were so loud that Rose actually jumped when they came in.

Al shifted in annoyance, but his two best friends smiled at the newcomers; honestly, the black haired boy was the only one who found his brother's and cousins' behaviours to be so annoying. Rose, Scorpius, Lily, Hugo, Molly and Lucy, and even Louis, who was quite a little prefect-in-the-making himself, didn't really mind having their older and wilder cousins disrupt their studies. They didn't know what Albus' problem was; James' behaviour just angered him and the two could hardly speak together without snapping at each other or getting in a fight. In Albus' opinion, his brother was a git who only cared about his looks and who loved the attention that his famous last name brought him wherever he went. Albus hated his last name, he hated that people pointed at him and asked for his autograph in the streets; he hated that people constantly compared him to his father, that he couldn't be his own person. He was Potter, the guy who had saved the world from Voldemort, he was Albus, the greatest wizard in the history of times, he was Severus, the bravest man his father had ever known. But who was he, really?

Determined to ignore his annoying siblings, Albus bent on his parchment and tried to concentrate, until James walked over to their corner. Al looked up at his older brother and frowned.

"What d'you want?" he asked, not rudely, but not exactly politely either. Rose shot him a warning look that he chose to ignore; everyone in the family hated when the two Potters decided to fight, and they did that quite often.

James put his hands up like a criminal handing himself over to the cops. "Easy Severus." He knew quite well how much Albus hated his second name. "I'm not looking for a fight." Slyly, James sat down next to Rose and smiled at his cousin. "Hey Rose, how's it going?"

"Hey James." She smiled at him, which annoyed Al. Why did everyone have to like his brother? The guy was a git! "Just trying to work."

"Transfiguration?" James scanned the book in front of her.

"Wow, James, want a round of applause?"

His brother shot him a look, but chose to change the subject. "Lily was worrying at dinner about you guys. Everything alright?"

Albus looked at him, thinking about how he was always playing the older, over-protective brother with everyone but him. When he was small, Al would get jealous because James always took care of his younger siblings; reassuring Lily when she had nightmares, carrying Rose to the house when she'd sprained her knee one summer afternoon, teaching Hugo how to fly a broom, talking a lot with the twins when their parents had split up. It was like James was everyone's older brother but his own, and he hated him for acting that way. He'd learned over the years to take care of himself without his brother's assistance, and it sure as hell wasn't about to change right that minute.

"Everything's great." He snapped as Rose opened her mouth to say something. "You can go back to your groupies now."

James' self-control started to crack. "What the hell is your problem, Albus?"

"Right now, you are. Just get out of my face James!"

"So, are you just a prick naturally or do you act that way only when I'm concerned? Because I'm getting tired of this, you know!"

"Oh, are you now?"

"I can't even start a conversation without you biting my head off! What's wrong with you?"

"Al!" Rose laid a hand on his arms as if to hold him back. "That's enough!"

"No, if he wants to know so bad, then here goes; I can't stand your attitude, Sirius! You're an arrogant sloth!"

"Al!" Scorpius warned in a low voice as James turned very red and spat out;

"Well at least I'm not a loner who can't talk in front of people without getting diarrhea beforehand and who's never going to get anyone to sleep with him besides a book!" his voice had been loud and everyone in the common room except the cousins erupted in laughs at the comment.

"James!" Lily gasped above the laughs from the other side of the common room, her hand flying to her mouth.

"I shouldn't have said that." James added as quickly as possible, cursing himself silently. He knew how shy Albus was and how hard it was for him whenever he was asked for an autograph or an interview; he also knew Al hated to be that way and that he tried to get more confident. But the damage was done and the Gryffindors watched as Albus got up, ducking his head and all but ran towards the portrait hole. James grabbed his sleeve to keep him from leaving.

"Al", he said quietly, "wait." But his brother pulled away and cast him one last tearful look, his face burning from shame.

"Don't talk to me ever again. I hate you." His younger brother spat at him and ran out of the dorm, Rose close on his heels and Scorpius following. James ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply as Lily rounded up on him.

"James! I can't believe you, why would you say something like that to him?" Her eyes were shining with tears. Yeah, Lils had always been one for drama. "You were awful!"

"Lay off, Lily." He just said, turning back to his friends as conversations started again in the common room. Dom looked at him in concern.

"Shouldn't you go after him?" but James just shrugged. He did feel bad, but the little git had been the one to start everything and he wasn't about to show his soft side to the entire house by running after his brother like a mother hen. They would talk tomorrow and everything would be fine, Al would forgive him and they would go back to ignoring one another at school like they always did.

oOo

"I hate him! My mum should have drowned the monster at birth!"

"Al, that's enough! This is as much your fault as it is James, you were totally asking for it-"

"Are you actually taking his side?"

"You shouldn't have been looking for a fight!"

"Did you hear what the git said, Rose?"

"Yes, I did, the entire Gryffindor house did! We'll be lucky if this doesn't end up in the Prophet tomorrow morning, what would uncle Harry say if-"

"Enough!" Scorpius bellowed, ending the conversation abruptly. "Guys, it's time to go."

The three shared a look as what they were about to do, and how dangerous it could become, sank in. Shakily, Albus pulled the cloak from under his sweater and draped it over his cousin and himself.

"OK" Scorp whispered. "Remember, Goyle is whacked. If he finds out you're there, he'll kill us, plain and simple. So, follow me, but keep your mouths shut!"

"Got it." Albus answered and Rose slapped the back of his head.

"Quiet!" she hissed.

Together, the three friends made their way towards the clock tower, Scorpius clutching his wand so tight that his knuckles had turned white. Once they were there, Scorp started pacing in anticipation and Albus shifted his weight uncomfortably, wondering what was going to happen next.

oOo

Goyle was a small, ugly and bald man wearing a robe that looked in serious need of a good wash. He also smelled like he hadn't taken a bath in weeks, and to top it all off, the guy was also off of his rocker.

"I'm glad you could make it, Malfoy." He growled as he got to the top of the staircase of the clock tower. He was clutching something that Al couldn't quite make out in his left hand and kept looking around suspiciously. Scorpius stayed where he was as the man made his way towards where he and his friends were standing against the window. He put one dirty hand on the boy's shoulder, and Al could see that his friend wanted nothing more than to pull away from the unwanted hold.

"We'll make the Dark Lord come back, boy. Your father told me you'd be glad to help."

Scorpius didn't say anything and kept on staring at the old death eater, a thousand thoughts whirling in his head. Was this his father's plan? But Goyle didn't seem to be looking for any sign of agreement on his part. He drew his wand and pointed it at Scorpius' face, who backed up a step without thinking.

"Do you know how the Dark Lord was defeated?"Goyle asked, eyes intent on his face. Rose shifted uncomfortably under the cloak; something bad was about to happen, she could feel it.

"Yes. They told us everything in History of Magic. Harry Potter killed him." Scorpius said slowly and nervously, trying hard not to glance beside him, where Rose and Albus stood pressed against each other, invisible.

"If you know everything, then it won't be hard to stop the event from happening, now would it?" Scropius' eyes widened.

"But Voldemort's dead. It's too late to do anything about it!" he answered, wondering what the man could possibly have in mind. Goyle shook his head, grinning widely in a crazy sort of way.

"I'm sending you back to the past, boy. To the year 1998. Do you know what happened in 1998?"

"The Battle of Hogwarts." Scorpius said matter-of-factly like the nerd he was.

"You will go back in time and make sure the Dark Lord is never defeated. Find Him and inform Him of what is to happen." Goyle stepped back and held up what had been clutched inside his fist all along; a small golden time turner. Instead of panicking like Al was on the verge of doing, both Rose and Scorpius looked like they were having great difficulty not laughing out loud.

"A time turner will only take you back a few hours; the guy's mad!" Rose whispered in his ear, unconcerned. Before Albus could answer, Scorpius spoke up.

"Um sir, not to be pessimistic or anything, but a time turner can't send anyone back twenty-five years in the past." But Goyle only smiled wider and raised his wand.

"Don't worry, Malfoy. I've got everything planned out." Scorpius' grin vanished from his face and he took another step back. Rose automatically reached from under the cloak and grabbed both his arm and Al's, whose hand was already fumbling for his wand. Goyle threw the time turner to the ground at their feet, where it broke in a thousand little pieces and bellowed something that none of them made out. Their ears were ringing and the room around them was fading, everything was turning black and the only thing that kept Albus breathing was the certitude that Rose was still holding on to him as the three of them spun together through time in utter darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Albus! Al, wake up!"

He opened his eyes and looked around him, panicking as he saw that his surroundings were all blurry and out of focus. Someone slammed his glasses on his face and suddenly the world seemed clearer. Both Scorpius and Rose were looking down at him. Slowly, Al got to his feet, glad that the world had finally stopped spinning. The three of them were standing in the clock tower on what seemed to be a bright, beautiful day. Confused, Al shifted his gaze towards his two mates.

"What the hell happened?"

Rose looked lost and Scorpius ran a hand through his blond hair, like he always did when he was nervous. None of them seemed to have an answer to his question. Silently, Al made his way towards the huge window, staring down at the forbidden forest and the lake in front of the castle. Nothing looked out of place, except for the fact that there weren't any students on the grounds; today was Saturday and the park should have been full of kids enjoying the last few weeks of sunshine. But there wasn't anyone in sight. Scorpius spoke up slowly.

"Is it possible that we all fainted last night and just woke up?" Rose's face brightened and she clapped her hands together.

"Yes!" she gasped, seeming to be grasping at straws. "That explains why Goyle is gone, why it's suddenly the morning and why our clothes are all wrinkled and Al's hair is messier than usual!"

"But there was spinning. Something strange happened." Al murmured as Rose frowned and looked desperate. "It looks like summer outside when we're supposed to be in autumn. The castle looks empty when it's supposed to be the weekend. And the broken pieces of the time turner are gone. What if-"

"Stop it! Don't even dare say it!" Rose raised her hand in front of herself like she was stopping traffic.

"Did we travel back in time?" Albus said slowly, his mind spinning.

"Shut up Al!" Rose spat at him. "We didn't, we couldn't have!"

"Well why not? Don't you remember what Goyle was trying to do?"

"The guy was mad, Al, ok? He was talking nonsense!"

Albus turned back towards the window, twirling his wand absentmindedly in his right hand. Then, suddenly, he stopped.

"The war memorial." He whispered and Scorpius took a step towards him.

"What?"

"The war memorial. The one that was erected after the battle of Hogwarts, with the names of the people killed."

"Oh, I thought you meant the other war memorial." Rose said in a voice dripping with sarcasm. When Al didn't go on, she asked, irritated and spooked: "Well, what about it?"

"It isn't there." Al pointed towards the castle grounds. "It's gone. Or it hasn't been made yet. Do you see?" His cousin gasped and took a hasty step forward, clutching the front of her robes. The two of them were well acquainted with the memorial; their family would always go once a year to pay their respect to the people killed and Al's father would always make a speech to talk about all the innocent people that had been lost; Teddy's parents, Uncle George's twin brother, and many others. Rose raised a hand to her trembling lips and blurted out.

"It isn't here. Why isn't it here?" The three kids had never known Hogwarts without the war memorial; to see the grounds without it was like seeing Al's dad without his lightening scar. Rose started hyperventilating and Scorpius grabbed her hands, turning her away from the window towards him.

"Rose," he whispered in a voice that was intended to sound soothing as Al turned towards his panicking cousin and looked at her in worry, "it's going to be alright."

"No!" she screeched, "we couldn't have traveled back in time; it's impossible, simply impossible!"

"Rose," Al took over, hands on her shoulders, "breathe." She took a deep breath and stared at him in utter horror.

"But what are we going to do?" she asked, tears filling her eyes. "It's 1998; the middle of the war! Where are we going to go? How will we get back? And what about our parents? What are they going to think when we vanish from school?" Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Our parents! They're seventeen! They're searching for Hocruxes! What if we run into them? What are we supposed to do? Al! Say something!" But her cousin only shook his head wordlessly; he didn't have an answer to any of these questions and his head was starting to pound something crazy. Desperate, he turned his gaze to Scorpius, who shrugged and rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"We can't stay here. Let's go down to the Great Hall; maybe we can find someone who'd help…" Al started uncertainly and Rose shook her head.

"Are you crazy? We can't tell anyone about this!"

"Why not? Someone might be able to send us back!" his face suddenly brightened as an idea dawned unto him. "Dumbledore! He's a genius, right? He'd know what to do, he could send us back!"

"But he might already be dead." Scorpius said, looking out the window again. "He died sometimes in the summer of 1997, didn't he?"

"June 18th," Rose agreed breathlessly. "And this is 1998. We're too late."

"But we don't know for sure this is 1998, do we?"

"Only one way to find out, isn't there?" Al asked, and Rose nodded hesitantly, wrapping her arms around herself. Before leaving, Albus grabbed the invisibility cloak from the floor and shoved it into his robes' pocket. Together they made their way down towards the Great Hall.

oOo

"It's so quiet." Rose whispered as they roamed the familiar yet uncommonly deserted corridors.

"I don't understand. Where is everyone?" Albus muttered as they passed yet another empty classroom.

"It might be summer holidays." Scorpius suddenly said and the two others nodded.

"That would explain the fact that there's absolutely nobody around." Albus muttered as they approached the entrance to the Great Hall. At that moment, even though his opinion of James remained unchanged, he would have given anything to see him come out of the room, along with Dom, Roxy and Fred, like on any Saturday morning. But instead of his brother's messy mop of ginger hair, it was the tight grey bun of the Headmistress that greeted them as they were about to come inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of them and without wasting a second, she started pushing them away from the door.

"Professor, what-" Al started, bewildered.

"Snape is on his way out." She screeched in his ear and he winced but remained quiet, although still confused. McGonagall shoved the three of them inside an empty classroom, closing the door quietly behind them. Then she turned around and grabbed Al's sleeve, steering him away from the other two, who simply watched with wide eyes.

"Potter," she started, "who are these kids and what on earth are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the Burrow; don't you realize how utterly irresponsible-" but then stopped abruptly, eyes gazing at the empty spot on Al's forehead. Rose sensed what was going on and quickly stepped besides Albus to face the witch.

"Headmistress," she started, "this isn't what you think. He's not Harry Potter. Could you please tell us today's date?"

McGonagall's eyes were bulging out as Scorpius joined Rose's side, holding his wand away from his body, ready to defend himself if the professor was to fire a spell at the three of them. But the old witch simply stared at them and croaked out:

"What did you call me?" Major whoops. Rose bit her lip and cast a worried look at Scorpius, wondering what possible answer wouldn't sound crazy, but coming up blank.

"Professor," Al tried slowly, cautiously, "would it be possible to speak to Albus Dumbledore?"

As the three kids stared at her hopefully, McGonagall found her voice again. "Professor Dumbledore passed away a couple of weeks ago, I'm afraid. Today is July 28th 1997. Who are you?"

oOo

It was simply incomprehensible. One minute she'd been having breakfast with Filius, trying very hard to ignore the fact that Snape was now sitting where Albus always had, and the next she found herself locked up in a classroom with a Harry Potter-lookalike and two unknown teens who addressed her as "Headmistress".

Very strange indeed.

As she announced, with a lump in her throat, that Albus had passed away some time ago, the three kids gasped, the blond boy muttering something about how "that stupid git" had "messed up his timing". Then, they shared a long look; a moment of silent communication passed. The girl kept shaking her head stubbornly and finally the black haired boy snapped:

"Rose, it might be our only chance at getting out of here!"

"All students were supposed to leave the grounds weeks ago." But even as she said those words, McGonagall knew these three couldn't be attending Hogwarts. No, there wasn't a first year she didn't know the name of, and these three looked like they could already be in sixth year. They were from somewhere else. "Who are you?" Professor McGonagall asked once more and the girl screeched out as the blond boy started to say something.

"We can't, we can't! It could change everything!" then she started to sob desperately in her hands and the blond boy patted her shoulder awkwardly. The black haired boy looked resolved as he took a step forward towards McGonagall who was rooted on the spot.

"Professor, this might sound hard to believe, but we're from the future."

"No! Al, don't!" the girl yelled. Ignoring her, he went on:

"And we've been sent here by… someone who wants to change the outcome of… something. To prevent something from happening. Only we don't want to do that, because it could destroy life as we know it. Could you help us go back to our time without the future getting altered?" he'd said all of this without taking a breath and was now looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to solve everything. Only it wasn't this easy. Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and stood up straighter, working hard to think, to get past her astonishment, the fact that the girl had called her "headmistress" and how breathtakingly similar the boy called "Al" was to Harry Potter. She had to be in control once more, and just for now, she chose to believe their story.

"From what year are you from?" she asked, voice steady. She directed her question at the Harry-lookalike, as the other two seemed unsure as to whether or not they should be truthful with her.

"2022." He answered slowly.

"That's impossible!" she said at once. "Nobody could travel back in time twenty-five years. There's no possible way."

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth."

"How did you do it?" she asked, voice sceptical and the young wizard hesitated before admitting.

"I don't really know. A broken time-turner and some spell sent us here. We didn't recognize the incantation. Can you send us back?"

"It's not that simple, Potter." She snapped automatically, a reflex reaction. Then she raised her eyebrows, suddenly figuring it out as she gazed at the pale, skinny black haired boy with the emerald green eyes and yet absent scar. "You are a Potter, aren't you?"

The boy looked unsure, and cast a worried look at his friends, but already a feeling of hope was seizing her.

"He survives. He defeats him. We win this war." She whispered, feeling her eyes widen.

The boy hesitated and the girl ran forward to put herself directly in front of him, grabbing his hand to stop whatever he was about to say and looking reproachfully as the old witch.

"Don't!" she ordered in a powerful voice. "We can't say anything! You know we can't. You have to get us someplace safe while you try to figure this out and send us back. If anyone knew about us…" she shuddered, biting her lip. "They would try to get information and change the future if they weren't happy with it. Everything could get messed up! You have to help us." Her bossy and confident tone was somehow familiar, but McGonagall couldn't put her finger on it, although the bright ginger hair informed her that she was most certainly dealing with another Weasley offspring.

"I don't see what I can possibly do about this situation, miss," she answered, unwavering, even as the young witch yelled at her.

"So… you don't know how to send us back?" the blond boy spoke up for the first time hesitantly. She looked at him, finding his features to be familiar as well. He was a Malfoy, this was certain. Malfoy and Potter, together in the same room and not firing spells at one another.

Very strange indeed.

"I'm afraid not."

The girl made a noise that was half-snort, half-sob. She crossed the room in two angry strides and slumped on a desk, crossing her arms on her chest. The two boys didn't move. McGonagall cleared her throat.

"I might still be able to help you." A pair of relieved faces met that sentence, as well as a suspicious one. "Although I'd need all the information I can get to do so – nothing that would compromise the future or alter the time stream, of course." She added quickly as the girl opened her mouth to disagree once more. "So," she turned towards the black-haired boy. "let's try this again, shall we? Who are you?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**Thanks to LittleWuve for the awesome tittle =)**_

oOo

"That went all right, didn't it?" Al muttered, crossing his legs under him. The three of them had explained as little as possible to the Headmistress and were now waiting for her to return from her office, where she was supposed to be "taking care of things". They'd told her their names, Rose claiming that anything else would be unnecessary and dangerous. Still, it was a relief to have an adult putting all of the responsibility on her shoulders; the three teens were now simply lounging out in the empty classroom, waiting for McGonagall to find a solution to this mess.

"I thought she was going to have a seizure when you told her your first name," Rose laughed, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

"So did I, and she didn't even get to hear the Severus part." Scorpius joked from where he was sprawled out on the classroom floor. Al frowned at the two of them and sighed dramatically.

"What did I ever do to my parents to get cursed with a name like that?" he asked the Heavens. "Especially considering how cool James' and Lily's names are and all. It makes me sick."

Rose suddenly stopped laughing and got thoughtful.

"James and Lily," she whispered slowly. "And the others, too. They must have noticed we were gone by now." Scorpius lifted himself up on one elbow to glance at her quizzically. "What do you think they're doing right now?"

"Well… they kind of haven't even been born yet, Rose." Al answered slowly, wondering if his cousin was going bonkers (and worrying about how they would ever get out of this mess if her brain went AWOL).

"I know, but just imagine if we didn't find a solution to this and never went back to our own time. What do you think they'd do about it? What would the parents say?"

"My mum would freak out, that's a sure fact. Dad would try and solve everything, like always."

"I wonder if my dad would notice," Scorpius said, more to himself than to the others.

"James would be pleased," Al muttered. "That's for sure." Scorpius shot him a look, but he chose to ignore it.

"Don't be a butt, Al. I know you two bicker but-"

"But nothing," he interrupted his cousin, looking out the window. "James wouldn't give anything to get me back, Rose. He hates me and I hate him. End of story."

"That's kind of dramatic," Rose muttered back but Scorpius told her to just let it go. And then they were all quiet for a couple of minutes, until the classroom door opened and a man they'd never seen before stepped in, followed closely by McGonagall, who closed the door after her.

Scorpius got up from the floor, McGonagall' s stern gaze on him and the two cousins hopped off the teacher's desk. The man drew out his wand and stared quietly at the three of them. Al stared right back, waiting for introductions, but when he felt Rose stiffen beside him and heard her draw in a quick breath, he wondered if he was supposed to recognize him or something. He was of average-height, pale and shabby looking, scars marking his face, but before he could figure out if he'd ever seen him before, the Headmistress spoke up.

"This is another member or the Order of the Phoenix; I'd like you to tell him exactly what you told me."

"Why is he here?" Rose asked almost rudely. She was eyeing the old witch in suspicion; Scorpius took one look at her face and reached in his back pocket to grab his wand. Albus stayed still, his posture tense. It didn't help that the man's eyes were now resting on him, weighing him down. He met his gaze, unwavering and unflinching, and when their eyes met, something tilted inside his brain, at the same time that the man's own eyes widened in surprise.

Albus knew those eyes.

"Remus is here to make sure you three aren't a couple of Death Eaters." McGonagall answered simply, clutching her own wand tightly but otherwise seemingly unaffected by the tension in the room.

"You don't trust us," Scorpius said matter-of-factly, while Al struggled to make sense of what was happening in front of him. Remus. He'd heard that name before.

"How do I know you aren't simply trying to infiltrate the Order, Mr. Malfoy?" The old witch shot back, meeting Scorpius' gaze sternly. "Unless you've forgotten, your family history doesn't make it any easier for us to believe your far-fetched story."

"His last name doesn't define him in any way!" Rose shouted at her, her ears starting to get red.

"I never said it did," McGonagall replied, "but it is to be added into the equation nonetheless. Now," she turned towards Remus, whose eyes were still glued to Al. "Shall we?"

The man nodded, carefully reaching for a flask inside his robes. Rose became very still as Scorpius and Al moved closer to her, tense and ready for anything.

"What is this?" she looked pointedly at the vial, taking a step back.

"This is simply some truth serum to make sure we can trust you," McGonagall answered.

"Veritaserum," Scorpius and Rose said in perfect sync as Remus stepped towards them, his free hand open as if to show them that he wasn't a threat.

"We only need one of you to take some, just to make sure your intentions aren't of danger to us." The old witch murmured.

"This is completely unnecessary," Rose shot back.

"I'll do it," Al said, stepping forward, cutting Rose off. "It's the only they'll help us." And since she looked just about ready to argue again, he added: "If they slip and ask a question that will reveal too much, you have my permission to stun me so I don't answer. You be the brains of this operation while I fulfill my purpose on this earth as eternal guinea pig. How's that?"

"Fine," she huffed. "But I don't like this."

Al turned towards the man, his stance guarded. Remus was watching him carefully as well as he handed him the flask.

"One sip will do," he said as Al dipped his head back and swallowed the dark liquid, not giving himself the time to think this through and chicken out.

oOo

His eyes got glassy right away and Rose watched nervously as Lupin grabbed him under the elbow to keep him from falling to the ground and steered him towards a nearby chair, pushing her cousin down on it. The man crouched in front of Albus, who actually kind of looked like he was unconscious. It was both fascinating and revolting at the same time; Rose had never seen anything like the interview she was about to witness, and she was a bit curious, but at the same time, this was her cousin they were going to interrogate. She grabbed Scorpius' wrist and whispered in his ear;

"Watch out. If the questions hit too close to home, I'm going to need your help to keep him from answering."

He didn't answer, only nodded as they watched Lupin ask what they both knew to be the standard question always asked first to Veritaserum-drugged people.

"Do you know who I am?"

Albus' eyes remained unchanged, clouded and foggy, but Rose could have sworn she saw a flash of recognition light up in them; right then, she was ready to bet everything she owned that her cousin had just made the connection.

"Yes", he replied, voice clear despite his drugged appearance. "You're Teddy Lupin's father."

Rose saw Remus' eyes go wide and she realized a second too late that this was exactly the kind of thing she had been supposed to prevent from slipping out.

_Damn_.

oOo

Lupin did get over his initial shock, and relatively rapidly too, which was pretty impressive, in Rose's opinion, taking into consideration the circumstances and all. He didn't ask for unnecessary details, just went on with his questioning calmly.

"Who are you?"

"Albus Severus Potter."

He did flinch and send an unreadable glance at McGonagall at this; but it wasn't like Rose could've stopped it either, right? Maybe she wasn't so good at this "brains of the operation" thing… He went on quickly;

"Where are you from?"

"London."

"When are you from?"

"2022."

"Who are the boy and the girl accompanying you?"

"Rose Weasley and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."

Hyperion? Seriously? Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rose couldn't help smirking at Scorpius who was keeping his eyes carefully averted from hers.

"Why are you here?"

Rose stiffened.

"Wait-" she started, but already Albus was answering, and in a direct way at that.

"We were sent here by Gregory Goyle to make sure that Harry Potter doesn't kill Voldemort."

Rose gulped, watched as McGonagall sucked in a sudden breath, praying they wouldn't think that this was the goal that the three of them actually wanted to achieve. But already Lupin was getting up and turning towards them, his wand drawn and ready, the name of the spell forming on his lips. Rose stayed where she was, unable to yell that they had it wrong, that she, Scorpius and Albus weren't a threat to them. In fact, as a blinding flash of red light filled the room, she could only imagine the way her parents' faces would look when the two of them realized she would never, ever be coming home.

oOo

Scorpius didn't saw it coming and he would have been lying if he said he had.

It was a reflex reaction, really. He only saw that Remus guy – Teddy's father, isn't that what Al had said? – raise his wand, take a step towards Rose, who was as still as a statue. Scorp reacted instantly and stupefied the guy with such force that he wasn't simply stunned, but blown against the classroom's wall as well, knocking down a few chairs and desks on the way. Then, he wheeled towards McGonagall, but it seemed that the few seconds it had taken him to put out Lupin had been enough for Rose to get back on track. She had stunned the Headmistress as well (and Scorp couldn't help but shudder at the consequences this action would surely bring forward later) and was already running towards Al, grabbing his hand and attempting to pull him to his feet. Scrop followed suite and when he was just behind her, she wheeled around and they both stared at each other, eyes wide and breathless.

"What just happened?" he asked stupidly and Rose bit her lip, tugging on her sleeve nervously.

"We stunned a teacher!" she finally spat out, blinking tears back rapidly, "we stunned the Headmistress and Teddy's dad! Oh Merlin, we are in so much trouble…"

"I didn't think," he answered, like somehow, this could explain what he'd just done. "I saw him come towards you and I thought he would-"

"I know-"

"He thought we were Voldemort followers or something-"

"He was preparing himself to stun us, or worst-"

"He wouldn't have killed us, not after hearing Al's surname-"

"Still, we didn't have a choice-"

"And, anyway, they'll be alright-"

"We did the only thing we could," Rose concluded, putting her wand back inside her jean's back pocket and wiping away the nervous tears on her cheeks, but Scorpius felt like he should still add something.

"I thought he would hurt you," he whispered, his voice low. "It made me _so_ mad and I just acted." He looked right into her eyes, unable to read her expression. "He'll be all right, though, won't he? I mean, I like Teddy and all, so I wouldn't want to have killed his dad before he could get his mum pregnant with-"

But before he could finish his sentence, Rose threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth; it was sudden and unexpected, he hadn't seen it coming in the least, and it quite made him forget, if only for an instant, where or _when_ he was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

When the thick fog finally left his vision, the first thing Al saw was his best friend and his favourite cousin sucking faces. Talk about a wake-up call.

"Merlin, my eyes!" he yelled, turning away from the unholy scene to find himself staring at two familiar looking corpses. He almost fell off his chair in shock. "What the hell?"

"Al, be quiet!" Rose whispered, smoothing the front of her robes and bending down to retrieve her and Scorpius' wands from the ground.

"I black out for two minutes and you guys manage to kill the only two people who might be able to get us out of this mess!" Al ran a shaky hand through his hair, unable to tear his eyes from the scene.

"Don't be ridiculous" Rose countered, handing Scorpius his wand, keeping her eyes carefully averted from his. "Do you really think we'd kill Ted's dad? They're just unconscious."

"But_ why_?"

"Because your stupid drugged-self told Lupin we were here to make sure Uncle Harry never killed Voldemort, that's why! Now, stop crying and get off your butt. We have to get out of here."

"I wasn't crying!" he shot back, standing up, his legs a little wobbly. "Wait, you _stunned_ them? Merlin, was it really impossible for you to simply _tell_ them they had it wrong?"

"Lupin was about to stun us himself, ok? We didn't have a choice!"

"But… What do we do now?"

"We get out of this place." Rose opened the classroom door just a crack and peered out. "Al, put the cloak on." She motioned for them to follow her and frowned when Albus didn't move. "Al, let's go!"

"But where are we-"

"Shut up and get over here!"

He did as she asked, pulling his dad's cloak from his pocket and over him swiftly, mostly because Rose's eyes were shining in a pretty scary way. The three of them stepped out of the classroom, Scorpius shutting the door carefully after them, and Al followed Rose as she started to make her way toward what appeared to be the common room.

"Rose," his whisper was muffled by the piece of clothing covering his face as he barely managed to keep up with his cousin's long strides. "Where are we going?" She didn't answer, so he fell back a step to find himself walking next to his other best friend.

"Now, Malfoy," he said in a low voice in what he hoped came out as a threatening tone. "Did I really just see you snog my cousin back there?"

"Yeah," Scorpius answered easily, his eyes seeming very far away. "It was pretty amazing."

Disgusted more than anything by the dreamy look on his friend's face, Al made a retching sound, hoping his feelings concerning the matter were well conveyed despite the fact that Scorpius couldn't see his face.

oOo

"A broom closet?" Al muttered, wedging himself in the almost non-existent space so that Rose could shut the door after him. "Seriously?"

"We need to figure this out, now." Rose answered him, pushing her hair out of her face and sitting down cross-legged on the filthy floor. "Don't interrupt me."

Scorpius shared a look with Albus, and they both sat down next to her, Al taking the cloak off and putting it back into his pocket silently.

"We're stuck in the past. Today is July 28th, 1997. Our parents are seventeen and this is the middle of the war."

"Right."

"I said to shut it, Al. We don't know how we were sent here or how to get back to our own time. We just attacked the only two people who might have been able to help us. We know how Uncle Harry defeats Voldemort, which is pretty dangerous information to be carrying around, considering. If any of his followers knew about us, they could torture this knowledge out of us, thus making sure the good guys never win the war. Which would be majorly bad. We need somewhere to hide, but more importantly, we need help to get back to our own time. I will now be taking questions." Rose looked at the two of them expectantly while Al seriously considered raising his hand to voice his opinion on the matter.

"Can't we stay here?" he muttered, his ego finally ruling against it. "Hogwarts is safe."

"Al, I don't think we'll be able to figure out how to get back home by brainstorming in a broom closet; we need outside help. Plus, remember there are bad guys here. Do the names Alecto and Amycus ring a bell?"

"You know, I listen to the war stories just as much as you do. Don't be such a schoolteacher."

"We can't stay in here forever, Al. We need to find a way to get home and Hogwarts is dangerous. I will now be taking _relevant_ questions," Rose continued dryly, emphasizing the word she'd just added to her earlier statement. Al frowned at her.

"What if we went to Snape?" Scorpius whispered, his expression thoughtful. "He is a good guy, after all." Rose hesitated.

"You know, I admire Severus Snape just as much as the next person. But would he really believe us? Plus, I'm not exactly itching to meet the guy. He was kind of a bastard, all things considered. No offence to your namesake, Al."

"None taken. It's such a stupid name, too. Did you know our Uncle George still calls him "the slimy git"?"

"Guys, I get that," Scorpius tried again, rubbing his forehead tiredly, "but what if he's the only one who can help us out?"

"He isn't," Rose answered automatically, before biting down on her lower lip.

"What d'you mean?" Al asked, turning towards her in surprise. "Who else is there?"

Rose hesitated, pulling on one of her curls. Finally, she raised her head decidedly and faced the two boys, her chin high.

"They are people who might believe our story, if we were able to give them enough evidence. They would also be able to help us figure out how to get back home; they would hide us and keep us safe while we do so. And since this is July 28th 1997, they're also currently all staying together someplace pretty easy to find."

"You don't mean…" Al trailed off, eyes widening. Rose sighed exasperatedly and ran a hand over her face.

"Yes, I do, Al. Think about it. Our parents really are the only one who can help us now."

oOo

He was shocked silent for about two and a half seconds. Then, along with his voice, came an unexpected surge of anger.

"No, Rose. No way."

"Al, this might be the only way-"

"Rose, look at me! I can't walk into the Burrow looking like a carbon copy of my seventeen year old dad! How'd you think he'd react? What if the rest of the Order thinks we're spies too? You're the one who's been talking about laying low and not altering the time stream all this time and now you want us to go and _meet our teenage parents_? Are you completely out of your mind?"

Her lower lip began trembling but her voice was steady when she answered:

"What else would you have us do, then? Go back to McGonagall and Lupin?"

"That's out of the question," Scropius answered before he could. "Who knows what they'll do-"

"Yeah, stunning them senseless pretty much underlined the fact that we were evil, didn't it, Scorp? Nice move there, by the way." Al shot back. The blue eyes narrowed as they bore into the green ones.

"No fighting," Rose cautioned, putting a hand on Scorpius' arm. "We don't have time for this. We have to get back home."

"How?" Al all but shouted at her.

"By getting help! And, I'm sorry, but our family seems to be the only ones who can provide this help!"

Al put his face into his hands, breathing deeply. In, out. "Rose, this isn't some story in one of your books. The point of all of this isn't that we end up meeting our parents in the end, okay? This is real!"

"I know that," she answered stiffly. "But do we really have a choice?"

"Yes, we do. And I'm not about to run to the Burrow and ruin the future like you seem dead set on doing." Al managed to get up with as much dignity as he could muster, despite the crowded conditions of the little broom closet, as Rose's eyes turned to slits at the accusation.

"Oh, really?" Her voice was like ice. "Would you mind sharing that brilliant and clearly superior idea of yours so we can accompany His Majesty on his quest?"

"You can do whatever you bloody like," Al muttered, shrugging the cloak back on. "I'm going to ask a certain namesake of mine for his help. End of story."

oOo

They were just walking along the third corridor to get to the Headmaster's office when Albus spoke up again, staring straight ahead.

"Sorry for being a bit harsh back there, Rose."

The two of them could never stay mad at each other for very long. Scorpius coughed to hide his knowing smile. Rose walked on, straight as an arrow beside her cousin.

"It's okay. But I'm not taking anything back. I still think going to Snape is a bad idea."

"Well, if it turns out to be a stupid decision, you guys can always Stun him. You seem to be enjoying the thrill of it lately." Al replied curtly, shifting his gaze to Rose who grinned slightly. Before she could answer however, shouts came from behind them, and all three wheeled around. James was just turning the corner, running at full speed towards them. Without even meaning to, Al ripped the cloak from his face, staring with wide eyes at this person who looked very much like his brother. The bouncing, messy red hair, the freckles and devious brown eyes, the pair of ripped jeans and the shirt Lily had gotten him for his last birthday – it was all there. But James couldn't possibly be here, in 1997. How on earth had he managed to-

"Al!" James yelled, calling him back to reality. "Run!" Al shifted his numb gaze to the two floating black cloaks chasing after his brother, and he almost dropped his wand in surprise. The Carrows.

Shit.

oOo

_**Hehe =) Bet you didn't see that one coming !**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_2022_

"Potter?"

James raised his head from where it was lying on the wooden desk and tried to look like he'd been awake for the last hour. McGonagall wasn't fooled. She frowned and cast a look towards the Spells teacher.

"Amona, could I borrow Potter for a few minutes?"

"Certainly, Minerva!" the old witch waved them off as James got to his feet unsteadily, grabbing his book bag and stuffing his parchment and quill into it, all the while casting Fred a what-the-hell-does-she-want-I-haven't-pulled-a-prank-in-days look. McGonagall spoke again from where she was standing by the door.

"Mr Weasley and Misses Weasley. I think you had better come as well."

oOo

"What do you mean, _gone_?" Fred shouted at the Headmistress in a way that would have made Rose raise her eyebrows and tap the badge on her chest threateningly, had she been there. Rox's mouth had fallen open and her eyes were wide; Dom grabbed Fred's wrist to make him shut up while James tried to make sense of the situation.

"I don't mean to be rude," Fred added hastily, shaking Dom's hand off. "But how can they be gone? It's impossible for students to leave the grounds without authorisation; all the passageways were closed after the war. And we double-checked them all on our first year here anyway!"

"Fred." James warned.

"I mean, honestly, it's impossible to leave this place!"

"Fred." Roxy muttered, rubbing her forehead tiredly.

"They couldn't have escaped; we already tried everything!"

"Fred!" Dom yelled, making all three of them jump. "Could you please focus on something other than getting us detention for the rest of the year? Rose, Al and Scorpius are missing! So just shut up for a minute!"

"And you've checked absolutely everywhere?" James raised his gaze towards Professor Longbottom, head of the Gryffindor house, who was standing besides the Headmistress' desk. He nodded silently.

"What about the Forbidden Forest?" Roxy asked, her voice trembling. "What about Hogsmeade?"

"They aren't there and nobody has seen them leave the grounds."

"When did you realize they were gone?" James asked, his throat dry.

"First bell today."

James closed his eyes and leaned his elbows on his knees, breathing in deeply. Albus, Rose and Scorpius were missing. The last time he'd seen them was the previous night, when he'd yelled at his little brother and embarrassed him in front of the entire house. And now they had simply disappeared.

Merlin, his dad was going to _murder_ him.

"When was the last time any of you saw them?" McGonagall asked, her gaze stern like she already knew the answer to her question. As James said nothing, his head resting in his hands, Dom spoke up.

"Last night. Al and James had a row. We haven't seen any of them since."

How nice of Dom to totally rat him out. James sighed.

"I see."

"Are you going to call my dad?" he finally asked, raising his head slowly. "Do my parents already know about this?"

"Yes, we will inform them of the matter. They should be here shortly." Neville's eyes were sad and worried as he looked at the four of them, sitting in front of the Headmistress' desk like a couple of naughty children. James realized that it was one of the first times he'd been called into this office without having actually done anything.

_But you have done something_, a voice, surprisingly close to Rose's, seemed to whisper in his ear. _You drove them away_.

Merlin, this was all his fault.

oOo

The four of them found themselves sitting outside the Headmistress' office, waiting for her to get a hold of their parents and for them to arrive, when James finally had enough. He got up; Dom immediately switched into mother-hen (or, as Fred and Louis liked to call it, overly-controlling-and-annoying) mode;

"Where are you going?" she asked, getting up and looking ready to follow him. "James?"

He didn't answer, simply walked away. In a second, though, they were on him, blocking his way and talking all at once.

That was the good (or bad, depends how you want to look at it) thing about having a gazillion siblings: you were never, ever totally alone... even if you wanted to be.

Especially if you wanted to be.

"Guys," he held up his hands tiredly, "can I just have some time to think?"

"Do you honestly think we're going to let you jump out of a window?" Roxy asked indignantly.

"… because we know how messed up you feel about all of this," Fred went on, frowning.

"…you think it's your fault since you yelled at Al…"

"… so you feel responsible for the fact that he's now missing…"

"…but give it up 'cause we're not letting you commit suicide…"

"…or dumbly attempt to find redemption for your past actions…"

"… so whether you like it or not…"

"… we're not letting you out of our sight."

"End of story."

James shot Dom an annoyed look, like he always did when the twins started finishing each other's sentences; for once though, she didn't seem to be sharing his pain at their twinness.

"Fred and Rox are right," she said firmly as he raised his eyebrows at her, "although I hate to admit it. And personally, I think we should stop moping and do something productive ourselves."

"That's kind of the thing, though," James muttered, realizing quickly that struggling against his cousins would be pointless and extremely tiring. "What can we possibly do to solve this?"

"Eating chocolate always helps in emergency situations." Roxy reached inside her back pocket and handed James a chocolate frog (one of the many advantages of being George's children was that the twins always had bags stuffed with candy when they came to school). James felt sick just looking at the sweet.

"Apart from that, though, I hope you meant that to be a rhetorical question 'cause I haven't got a clue," Roxy added, running a hand through her short spiky hair, as her cousin put the frog away in his jacket's pocket.

"I'm all for the idea of stuffing our faces with chocolate, but mostly I say family crisis call for emergency family reunions," Fred said wisely. "So how about we go fetch those dimwitted siblings of ours before we decide – or eat – anything?"

"That's not a bad idea, really," James answered slowly, "I'd like to be the one to tell Lils Al's missing so she doesn't completely freak out. Plus, one of them might have seen Scorp, Al or Rose today."

"Do you have the Marauders Map? You know, so we don't search the entire castle." Rox asked him, but he shook his head.

"No, but I know for a fact that Louis has potions on Saturday mornings. The others must be in the common room, or still in bed."

"Molly had a date with that Hufflepuff guy today; she must be somewhere in the park with him-"

"And hopefully _not_ in his or her dorm-"

"Thank you _so_ much for that mental picture, Fred-"

"Hugo said he'd be at the library to study for his DADA test on Monday…"

"Maybe Lucy's with him-"

"Lily might be off flying, you know how she likes to get up early on weekends to have the field to herself-"

"Alright, so separate, and get them back to the common room as soon as possible," James concluded, as all four of them took of running towards the stairs. "And remember to kill that Hufflepuff guy if you _do_ find him with Molls in one of the dorms."

oOo

As expected, Lily was the only one on the Quidditch field that morning. Only she wasn't flying; she was sitting inside one of the three left rings, her legs dangling off the edge, her broom floating in mid air next to her. Roxy nearly stopped breathing when she found her there. She ran towards the foot of the gigantic rings and yelled;

"HEY LILS! Come here!" And when the young girl barely spared her a glance before resuming whatever it was she was doing up there, Rox curled his hands into tight fists.

"LILY LUNA POTTER! You get down here _right now_ or I'm calling your big brother, and you can be sure he'll be _pissed_ that you did this again!"

Lily sighed dramatically and hopped on her broom, taking her time coming down and finally hitting the grass with a final thud.

"What'd you want Rox? I'm kind of busy." Roxy shook her head at her stubbornness.

"I don't get it. Why'd you keep doing that? You know it drives James and Al crazy. Hell, it drives us all crazy! Why can't you just fly your broom normally? You do know how dangerous this is, right? Are you trying to make a statement or something?"

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture." Lily muttered, staring at her feet.

"Too damn bad. I don't want you doing this anymore, you hear? Or next time I'll personally tell Aunt Ginny about your stupid stunts!"

"Fine! Could we please drop the subject now? Why are you here anyway?"

"Emergency family reunion in the common room."

"Oh. How come? Did Fred and James finally get expelled?"

"What? No. Merlin, why would you think that? It's something else. Meet you there in five minutes?"

"Sure, I'll be there."

oOo

Thank Merlin, she _was_ in the park after all.

"Hey, Molls?"

Molly raised her head but did not smile when Fred propped himself down on the grass next to her. She did close her book, though.

"Hi."

"So where's that Hufflepuff guy you had a date with?" Fred glanced around him suspiciously, but she just shrugged.

"Michael? Turns out he has a girlfriend."

"Oh." Trying not to show how relieved he suddenly felt, Fred eased an arm over the fifth year's shoulders. "Well, he doesn't deserve you anyway. And his front teeth are crooked."

"Sure, sure." She replied easily, smiling slightly. "So, what do you want?"

"We're in need of your superior brain cells in the common room. Emergency family reunion."

"Oh." She eyed him warily. "What'd you do?"

oOo

"Gone." Louis repeated mechanically. "What do you mean, gone?"

The four oldest cousins had finally been able to get everyone together (except for Lucy, as nobody seemed to be able to locate the red-haired tiny girl) at the same time in the common room; Fred had shooed away the other Gryffindors and the Weasley-Potter gang now had the entire room to themselves (quite an impressive deed really, considering it was 11 AM on a Saturday and all).

"McGonagall says they're missing." Dom explained, sitting down next to Lily, who was staring at her brother like she couldn't believe what he'd just said on the big armchair next to the fireplace. "Nobody's seen them anywhere either."

"But they couldn't simply have vanished." Louis whispered, dumbfounded. "Where would they go anyway?"

"Are you sure they aren't in the Forbidden Forest?" Molly asked, pushing the glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Or in Hogsmeade?"

"What about the Shrieking Shack?" Louis added.

"Or the kitchens?" Lily whispered hopefully. "They could have-"

"They aren't in Hogwarts," Hugo had taken the Marauder's Map (it was always travelling from hand to hand in the family during the school year) out of his jeans' pocket and was now scanning it thoroughly, frowning. "I can't find them anywhere on here."

Lily sucked in a sudden breath and looked at her brother. "Do mum and dad know about this? What about Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione?"

"Neville said he would call them. They might be in McGonagall's office right now." James answered uneasily.

"Oh man. The mums are gonna _flip_," Louis whispered, casting an anxious glance at Hugo, Lily and James.

"I can't believe this. _I can't believe it_." Lily glared at James, her voice rising steadily. "I hope you realize that this is all your fault. It's no wonder Al took off after the horrible things you yelled at him yesterday."

"You were a bit harsh, James." Louis agreed uneasily.

"Al's a big boy; he wouldn't have simply taken off after a little fight with James-" Roxy argued.

"… especially considering the fact that those two dimwits are always fighting and all," Fred added thoughtfully.

"Plus, Rose wouldn't have accompanied Al if he was only throwing a tantrum or something. She's not that petty." Molly concluded, crossing her ankles.

"Still, James-"

"I know, Lils, and I'm sorry, alright? I'd take it all back, but that's not going to make them reappear, is it? So how about we concentrate on how to find them rather than trying to establish the reason they left?" James shot back, his frustration making him want to hit something, anything. He ground his teeth at his sister's accusing gaze and turned towards Fred instead. "So, what do we do?"

His cousin grimaced and glanced around him to see if anyone else could come up with a plan. When none of them said anything, he turned back towards James and muttered hesitatingly: "Separate and look for clues?"

James pinched the bridge of his nose. "Merlin, this is such a stupid idea-"

"But it is the only one we've got," Roxy finished for him.

"And I'm not about to just sit here and wait," Lily glared at her brother.

"Let's go," Hugo concluded, getting up.

oOo

_**If you could leave just a tiny review, it would really make my day =)**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

2022

"What about the restricted section of the library?"

"Lils, they aren't at Hogwarts, ok?" James was still glancing at the Marauders' Map as the three of them turned the corner of the seventh floor and nearly tripped over his own feet doing so. "Plus, you know Molls' the only one who actually goes in there at all."

Molly sighed dramatically and forced herself to match his long strides, catching up to the two siblings. "Look, James, not to be pessimistic or anything, but what exactly do you hope to accomplish by roaming every single corridor in school?"

When he pretended not to have heard her, Lily grabbed his sleeve and tugged on it until he looked up from the map.

"James, Lou and Roxy said all of Al, Rose and Scorpius' stuff was still in their dorms. They couldn't possibly have left Hogwarts without anything but the clothes on their backs!"

Before he could reply, Lucy appeared at the end of the corridor and when she saw them, began running towards them at full speed.

"James, Molls, Lils," she gasped as she reached them, her face almost as red as her hair, putting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "I've-been-looking-for-you-for-_ages_-where-the-hell-has-everybody-been?" she took a deep breath and blurted out: "Something's happened to Al and Rose and Scorpius!"

The three cousins sighed in resignation.

"Thank you so much for that valuable input," James muttered, going back to the map while Molly started racking her brains again and Lily told her cousin. "We know Luce."

"You do?" the fourteen year old looked surprised and started rambling. "But how did you- Were you there as well? Wait, wait… So did you catch him, then?"

"Catch who?"

"Goyle!"

That got their full attention. James' head whipped up and he stared at his young cousin in astonishment.

"Gregory Goyle? What does he have to do with any of this?" Lily asked Lucy, crossing her arms on her chest.

"But I thought you said you knew-"

"Wait-wait-wait," James muttered, folding the map and sliding it into his back pocket. "Lucy, start again from the very beginning." Besides him, Molly was readjusting her glasses and he could've sworn he could actually hear her brain whirring.

"Last night. After you and Albus had a fight – oh and by the way you were such a _git_ James – I went after him and Rose and Scorpius. They didn't see me. They were whispering about what an idiot you are and going to go talk to Goyle; then Rose and Albus put the cloak on and they left."

Molly had her hands lifted to hide her eyes, just like those moments when she was thinking really hard or trying to remember something; Lily had snatched the Marauders' Map from James' back pocket and was unfolding it shakily; James simply stared at Lucy like he couldn't believe it.

"Goyle?" he repeated stupidly.

"You know, the old Death Eater, one of Scorp's father's friends, who was set free a couple of weeks ago?" Lucy clarified uselessly, as James was quite aware of who the git was and could feel his blood beginning to boil. "Then I heard Al and Rose and Scorp were missing an hour ago and I thought-"

"Well, he isn't at Hogwarts either," Lily muttered, disappointed, folding the map once more. "He must have kidnapped them of something."

"Why the hell would Al and Rose go see Goyle? Did Scorpius' dad arrange some effing meeting or something? What did the bloody Death Eater do to them? And more importantly," James shifted his glare towards Lucy who gulped. "Why on earth did you not come and tell me this sooner?"

"I thought I'd heard wrong! I mean, what would Goyle be doing at Hogwarts anyway? And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not Al and Rose's nanny. You should have been the one going after them in the first place, so please refrain from taking your rightful frustration with yourself on me, alright?"

"Oh, so you mean it didn't even worry you to hear-"

"Shut it!" Molly shrieked. "We don't have time for this!" She turned her glare towards her sister, who took an automatic step back. "Lucy, go get Fred, Dom and the rest of them. Bring them here. Go now!" she added when her sister hesitated slightly, causing her to jump and take off running towards the common room without a backward glance. Molly then turned towards the skinny black-haired girl on her right. "Lils, I want you to go to McGonagall's office, get Professor Longbottom and the parents, tell them to come here right away." And with one last glare towards her brother, who was more than glad to return the favour, Lily took off as well.

When the coast was clear, Molls looked at James, slightly worried all of the sudden. Warily, she held out her hand towards him and said slowly:

"Could you give me your wand?"

He raised his eyebrows at her and clutched the thin piece of wood more tightly in his fist.

"Why would I do that?"

"So you don't do anything rash and stupid, which, you've got to admit, is something you're pretty prone to doing on a daily basis. Please give it here, James."

"What's going on, Molls? Why'd you send Lils and Lucy away?"

She knew him well enough that she sighed and dropped her hand to her side, realizing insisting was pretty pointless when dealing with perhaps the most stubborn of the Weasley-Potter offspring.

"I believed backup would be necessary, although now you'll probably just decide to rush in and ruin my well thought-out plan." She pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose again. "I think Goyle is the key behind Al, Rose and Scorpius' disappearance. And I think I know where he might be."

oOo

"Tell me!"

She cast him a worried look. "Hold your horses there for two seconds, ok? Don't go barging into the room and getting hurt like the idiot you are. I only said I thought I knew where he _might _be."

"Molls!"

"Ok, remember when Uncle Harry gave us – I mean you – the Marauders' Map on my first year? How he said that it showed all the people who were in the castle, except for those who were in a specific room?"

oOo

"James, can't we wait for your dad or Neville before we-"

"Are you sure about this?" James cut her off as he stared at the wooden door that had just appeared in the seventh floor corridor. "I get the logic of him hiding in the Room of Requirement. But why this room in particular?"

She sighed, and cast a glance towards the corner of the hall, silently praying for one of the two parties she'd sent for to appear there. When none did, she forced the answer out of her throat.

"Because I came in there this morning, and it looked different, kind of like the objects had been jumbled up, although I'm positive I'm the only person who comes in here at all. Plus, if you recall the war stories correctly, when Goyle, Malfoy and Crabbe used the Room, it was this particular place that they went to, always."

He nodded. "You're right." He was clutching his wand so hard that his knuckles were white. "Stay behind me. I'm going to kill the bastard."

"Don't!" she answered vehemently; "you'd better not, James! We need him to tell us what he did with the three dimwits who were stupid enough to go see him in the first place, remember?" when he grabbed the wooden doorknob, she felt panic seize her. "Wait! Can't we wait for reinforcements, please?"

"You can leave if you're afraid," he replied, shifting his brown eyes to her. She glared at him.

"And leave you here to get yourself killed? Be forever blamed for letting you be your usual moronic self? Be striped of the Weasley inheritance for letting one of my own get himself hurt? No, thanks very much." She steeled herself as he grinned and opened the heavy door.

_We need the place where everything is hidden, _thought Molly, shivering in anticipation.

As if repeating the sentence they'd said three times already in her head could change the nature of what was waiting for them behind the wooden panel.

oOo

Well, this had gone well. James had barged him and hurled a handful of spells at Goyle, who had been, as predicted, simply waiting behind one of the shelves in the room where many Hogwarts' generations of students had hidden various objects. James had lost his control, stunning the guy before having to reanimate him (so, basically everything Molly had been trying to prevent) to question him. Her cousin now had the former Death Eater backed up against the wall, disarmed and furious.

"What'd you do to my brother and my cousin, scumbag?" James asked, his wand almost touching his prisoner's chest. "Tell me where they are right now!"

When they'd first come in and begun the search, she'd hesitated before closing the wooden door behind them, closing off the passage to the Room of Requirement. The cousins, parents and teachers were probably waiting, clueless and more than a little worried, in the seventh floor corridor right now.

"Should I get the others?" Molls asked hesitantly, although leaving her cousin in the state of anger he was in at that moment seemed like it would be highly hazardous to their prisoner's well-being. She could have sworn she saw Goyle shoot her a pleading look of Please-keep-that-lunatic-away-from-me. So she stayed where she was, praying Uncle Harry (or Aunt Hermione, at the least) would be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together, just like she had, although the biggest piece of the mystery still remained unsolved.

"Where are Al, Rose and Scorpius? Answer me!" James' temper seemed to be slipping away rapidly, and since Goyle looked dead set on keeping his mouth shut, she found herself telling her cousin something she probably should have kept to herself.

"There's some Veritaserum in here if you want," she whispered, only to be met with a questioning glance from her cousin and a more than deadly one on Goyle's part.

"How'd you know?" James replied.

"I've been in here a couple of times, doing research and trying out some things." When his brow stayed furrowed, she sighed deeply and tugged on one of her curls. "I've been experimenting with time-turners. It kind of got me intrigued after Aunt Hermione told me about how she used time-travel during her third year here. She gave me her old time-turner, see?" Taking out the thin chain from her robe, she handed it to her cousin, who stared at it blankly. "Only… See, I'm not exactly supposed to be doing what I've been doing, so you can't tell anyone. But since I've been spending some time here, I can affirm that there is some Veritaserum around."

"Oh," James turned back towards Goyle, placing the time-turner on a nearby shelf. "Go get some, Molls."

"Actually, I would recommend we ask for parental supervision before we-"

"_Go_."

oOo

They didn't ask the right questions at first, that much was pretty clear. Even after four spoonful of the Truth Serum, which left Goyle looking more than a little green, the bloke still refused to tell them what he'd done with Albus and Rose. It was only after ten minutes of intense questioning that Scorpius' name popped up (it was true that the Malfoy offspring wasn't exactly James' priority) and that Goyle told them everything.

And that Molls' "superior brain cells", as Fred had said, had put it all together.

"Think about it," she whispered as James, looking absolutely livid (understandingly), paced in front of the chair they'd pushed Goyle down on for his questioning. "Lucy said they were worried about going to see him and that Rose and Al put the cloak on. Goyle says Scorpius was the only one present when he sent him to 1998, but the two others must have been there with him. He must have sent them all together back in time. Plus, didn't Lily tell you the three of them seemed jumpy all evening?"

"Wait, wait." James rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. "How is sending someone back 24 years in the past even possible?"

"He broke the time-turner and used a spell I've never heard of. My guess is he managed to double, triple or do whatever to the normal amount of time a time-turner can go back to with it."

"But how on earth did he enter, or choose or whatever, the date he wanted them to arrive on?"

"I don't know, do I? His explanations don't make any sense to me!"

James sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his messy red hair. "How do we get them back?"

Molly shook her head slowly. "I have no idea. He obviously didn't plan for Scorpius to come back at all, just to alter the time stream and change our present by keeping Voldemort alive-"

"Scumbag," James called to Goyle, who merely grunted in response.

"- and I have no idea what's going on in 1998 either. Obviously, we don't have to worry about Scorpius trying to keep Voldemort alive, but those three might just be stuck in the middle of the war right now. This is a very dangerous time to be visiting, made all the more dangerous by the fact that all of our parents are there too, only younger-"

"-and that Al looks like a carbon copy of my dad," James added, desperation underlying his tone.

"… and that Uncle Harry is being looked for by the entire country. Exactly."

"Damn it."

"You can say that again."

"So… What do we do?"

"You are going to stay here and try not to do anything stupid while I go and get the parents outside. Uncle Harry will figure this out, James." Molly hesitated and put a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "You know he always does."

"This is all my fault," James whispered miserably, running a hand over his face. "I can't believe I was so stupid. If anything happens to them…" he shuddered slightly and didn't finish the thought. Molly wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him lightly.

"They'll be alright," she answered automatically. "Don't think like that. Now stay put. I'll be back in a sec." And she was gone in a swirl of red curls and black robes, leaving James standing in front of Goyle, his arms hanging limply at his side.

_All his fault. All of it._

And if they couldn't bring them back… How would he ever be able to look Lily in the eye again? And his parents, and Ron and Hermione? He'd never quite hated himself so much before in his entire life.

Goyle groaned, bringing him back to the present. The Death-Eater was still under the potion's influence, his face slack and his eyes glassy, and James stared at him with pure hatred. Of course, this was the scumbag's fault as well. And the ministry's too, and the minister's. After all, none of this would have happened if Goyle hadn't been released from Azkaban in the first place. Showing remorse for his past actions, like hell he had! James' eyes drifted away from the revolting man and found the thin golden chain on the shelf beside Goyle.

And that's when the idea hit James like a ton of bricks.

And the realization that he had to act fast before his parents and cousins came to stop him.

Pulling his wand out from his back pocket, he pointed it straight at Goyle's face, whispering a spell he'd never used before in his life.

"Impero."

oOo

_**So what do you think will happen next ? =)**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**2022**

As Scorpius tugged on her hand, yelling something she couldn't quite make out, Rose felt unable to move, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. For a split second, she stayed frozen, staring at James running towards them, a pair of Death Eaters close on his heels.

And then her eyes fell on Albus. She blinked.

He'd taken the cloak off!

All the noise in the corridor rushed back to her ears in an instant.

"Al!" James yelled, a few meters away from them. One of the Carrows fired a spell, missing his ginger head by an inch. "Run!"

oOo

Like a bullet, Rose ripped her hand from Scorpius' hold and ran straight to Albus, who was as still as a statue, his eyes fixed on his brother. She pushed against him, yelling in his ear to make him react.

"Al, get back! They'll think you're-"

"It's Potter!" One of the death eaters shouted, making her wince and wheel around, wand ready. "Get them!" But before she could fire a spell, James reached them, running right into the two cousins and nearly knocking her down.

"Protego!" he shouted, creating a shield around the four teens. Rose could barely make sense of what was going on anymore, her ears were ringing, and James' grip was like a vice around her wrist. She thought she heard Scorpius try to hex one of the Carrows and Al yelling at his brother to let go on his arm, but James had kicked some classroom door open and was shoving them into the empty room roughly. And then the noise stopped, and she grabbed Scorpius' neck to keep herself from collapsing. James was leaning against the heavy wooden door, breathing hard, the Carrows' yells muffled by the thick panel outside the small classroom. Al stared at his brother mutely.

"James," Rose whispered shakily, her voice sounding too loud in the tiny room. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" he replied, smirking and still managing to make a joke of the situation. "I've always wanted to see what 1998 was like!"

"1997. And how in Merlin's name did you manage to-"

"He's in here!" a voice yelled from outside, cutting her off. "Get it open!" James stiffened and glanced at his cousin.

"The shield spell won't hold them off forever, will it?"

Rose gulped. "No."

"And you wouldn't happen to know a spell that would block them from coming in, would you?"

"No." Rose repeated, letting go of Scorpius' neck slowly. James grimaced.

"That's what I thought. Damn."

"James, how did you-"

"Retreat now, questions later. Al," he glanced at his frozen brother, removing his jacket swiftly before leaning back against the door. "Could you go check how far down the ground is from this floor?"

"What?" Scorpius' gasped as Albus stayed rooted on the spot. "D'you expect us to jump out of the window or something?"

"You got a better idea, Malfoy?"

"No, there's another way!" Rose exclaimed, running to the small fireplace behind the teacher's desk. She reached inside a dirty flowerpot hanging by the wall and smiled as she drew back a fist-full of grey dust. "Yes!"

"Floo powder," Scorpius clarified uselessly as Rose pointed her wand at the base of the conduit, lighting up a couple of flames instantly.

"Where the hell do you expect us to go to by Floo, Rose?" James yelled, shoving harder against the door as vibrations from the wooden panel informed him that spells were being fired at it. He winced at a particularly intense explosion from the corridor, and Al seemed to be shaken awake and reflexively joined his brother in his struggle against the door.

"Home," he shouted so James could hear him despite the explosions. Dust and smoke were beginning to make their way into the classroom, making him want to sneeze as he leaned heavily against the wooden surface, his shoulder bumping James'. "She wants to go home."

"To the Burrow? Are you completely out of your mind?" Rose pretended not to have heard him as she muttered spells under her breath to make the flames turn green.

"Why are you here, James?" Al shouted, unable to rein his curiosity in. It's what had been puzzling him all along, the fact that, of all people, his brother had been the one to show up. Even his constant quest for glory failed to explain his presence here; this was a much too risky situation for that. So why had he come?

James turned his eyes away from Rose and towards his brother, blinking. Al met his surprised gaze, realizing that, for the very first time of his life, he didn't have to look up to do so. "Isn't it obvious?" James replied slowly, seemingly struck with the very same realization at the exact same time.

Right then, the door exploded from behind them and they were both thrown roughly to the ground. Al fell head first on the stony floor and felt his glasses break from under him, little bits of glass penetrating his cheek. Ouch. He heard Rose call out his name and then Scorpius' hands were turning him over and dragging him backwards, away from the door. The Carrows had appeared in the threshold, and then everything was blurry and everyone was firing spells at one another, Albus couldn't see a single thing except Rose's fiery hair standing directly in front of him and blocking the spells he would have been unable to dodge. He felt blindly around for whatever was left of his glasses and Alecto was screaming something about calling the Dark Lord before Rose silenced him with a flick of her wand. His cousin cried out as one Amycus' spells hit Scorpius square in the chest; James stunned the death eater and Al's fingers finally closed on the bits of glass he'd been searching for.

"Reparo," he muttered, Rose gasping behind him as she crouched over Scorpius' unconscious form. He put his glasses on and blinked wildly around him, taking the scene in.

Amycus was laying on the ground, much like Scorpius, the two of them unconscious; Rose was attempting to revive him with a spell Al had never heard before; James had Alecto silenced, disarmed and backed up against one of the classroom's corners, but his gaze was on his brother.

"You okay?" he asked Al as he got up shakily.

"Fine," Al replied, rubbing at his cheek where the glass had cut him before wincing and pulling his hand back. "But Scorp-"

"He'll be alright." James punched Amycus hard in the gut and then stepped away from the wheezing, folded in half and now harmless death eater. Crossing the room, he crouched beside Scorpius' head, Al imitating him. "Only stunned. You okay, Rose?"

The girl nodded, tears trailing her cheeks, nervously running her fingers in her wild hair. "Scorpius, he's-"

"Fine," James finished. "He's perfectly fine. Or he will be, anyway. Just let me remember the spell – Al, are you bleeding?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Stupid glasses. It's nothing." He almost added "don't worry", before remembering that James wasn't in the habit of worrying about anyone but himself. Still, feeling uneasy under his brother's unreadable gaze, Al got up and walked over to the door, looking out into the doorway. Miraculously, the corridor was still empty. How in Merlin's name had the ruckus not alerted the entire castle was beyond him, but he wasn't about to risk ruining the situation. Silently, he closed what was left of the door and cast a Muffliato spell. Inside the classroom, the others were arguing again, Scorpius' eyes still closed.

"I know that, but it's the only way we can get out of here!" Rose was whispering, her arms around Scorpius' neck, who was starting to stir.

"No, it isn't. I know how to get us all back home. I just have to speak to Teddy's dad-"

"You're a bit too late for that, mate-"

"Well, then, to anyone who knows the Minister of Magic, then-"

Al was about to ask him what his grand plan was when a flicker of movement on his right caught his attention; before he could even blink, Alecto drew his arm back and hurled an enormous glass tank right at him.

As the heavy object soared in the air, Al had the time to think about three things; firstly, that learning magic for six years had been quite a waste of time, now that he realized that he didn't know a single spell able to stop the projectile from shattering his skull. Second, that if James really was here, it was ultimate proof that he _did_ care. And third, that it would have been really appropriate to move out of the tank's way when he still had time to do so. Damn.

And then he was shoved hard on his knees and while the pain he'd been bracing himself for did not come, the sound of breaking glass and Rose's scream did, and James collapsed on top him, unconscious.

"Stupefy! Stupefy!" Rose shrieked as Al turned James over on his back, his stomach heaving at the sight of his bleeding face, his half-closed lids and gaping mouth.

"No," he mumbled, grabbing his brother's shoulder and desperately trying to shake him awake. "James James James wake up, c'mon, please, please-"

And then Rose and Scorpius were kneeling beside him, prying his fingers away.

"Do something!" he yelled at his cousin, who only shook her head. "Rose, fix this!"

"I can't, I don't know how, I don't know what to do…" she sobbed, her hands pressed to her trembling lips. Al could barely hear her with the way his ears were ringing.

"James, c'mon, please, wake up, please…" he kept repeating, struggling to grab his brother's arm despite Scorp's grip on his shoulder, holding him back. "Please, please wake up-"

Rose had grabbed his hand and was saying something he couldn't understand. One single thought kept running around non-stop in his head, muting everything else. _You caused this, Alecto was aiming for you, he shoved you out of the way, he does care, this is all your fault…_

"Can't you make his bleeding stop or something?" he pleaded with his crying cousin.

She shook her head again, biting her lip, eyes fixed on James' unrecognizable face. "I don't know how, I don't know how, I'm sorry-"

"Maybe McGonagall or Lupin… or Snape…" Scorpius started hesitantly.

"Yes," Rose breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, Snape will know what to do. Al, c'mon, he'll know you're a Potter just by taking one look at your eyes-"

"No, I'm staying here."

"But-"

"We just have to convince Snape to come in here," Scorpius cut Rose's protest off. "He'll see Al and then help James. I'll come with you," he added when she started to speak again. "but we should probably hurry."

"Stay here. We'll be back in a second," Rose murmured, and then the two friends took off and Al was left to stare numbly at his brother's bleeding face, feeling desperately useless, as the door shut itself silently behind them.

"James?" he tried again hesitantly, rolling up the invisibility cloak and sticking it under his brother's head like a pillow. "Rose and Scorpius went to get help. You're gonna be okay."

Once, when he was ten, during summer holidays, Roxy had fallen off her broom while playing Quidditch with Fred and her dad and cracked her head on the ground. He remembered how Aunt Angelina had cried all the way to St Mungo's, how the entire family – somehow, everyone had been here – had paced for hours in the waiting room to hear how the patient was, and how Aunt Persephone, who was a Healer, had kept talking to Rox when she was lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding, waiting for help to arrive.

"_The important thing is to keep speaking,"_ she'd explained to Albus later. _"It's the only way to let them know you're here."_

"_But how do you know they can hear us?"_ Al had asked.

"_I don't. But it's worth a shot, isn't it? If they can hear us… at least they know they're not alone in this."_

"Snape is coming; remember, the slimy git who actually turned out to be one of the good guys? He's a potions master; he'll know what to do… Just hang on, alright?", Al said now, trying hard to follow her advice. "We'll make sure no scars are left on your face – I know how much you value it." He tried to laugh but his throat was too dry. Merlin, couldn't James at least nod or smirk to let him know he was conscious? "You're going to be okay, James. Just imagine how mad Lils would be if you didn't wake up; she'd hate you forever for being dumb enough to come here after us in the first place. Thanks for that, by the way. And for pushing me out of the way when… you know. Didn't know you cared. I appreciate it." Al swallowed loudly, wishing the blood would stop flowing from James' head. "You'll be okay. You've got to be. Hang in there, Jamie. Don't give up. Merlin, what's taking them so long? Man, I wish Dad were here, he'd know what to do. Remember when-"

"Would you shut up for a second?" James spoke up, eyes still closed, making Al jump.

"James! Are you alright?" he gasped, grabbing his brother's arm and leaning closer to hear his faint whispers.

"I've got a massive headache and your endless rambling isn't helping at all." James opened his eyes slowly and raised a hand to his face, wincing. "What the hell happened and what's this gooey thing covering my face? "

"You took a glass tank to the face, remember? And that would be your blood." James got really pale and shut his eyes again. "But you'll be okay, Rose and Scorp will be here with Snape right away-"

"No, Al, shut up for a minute," James gritted his teeth. "You've got to go now. If Snape comes, he'll never let you leave and you have to get to the Burrow, fast."

"What?"

"I have a plan, so listen up. See, to get back home, you've got to make sure that Goyle is never set free from Azkaban in 2022; that way, he'll never send you guys here, okay? So you've got to get to the Minister of Magic and tell him-"

"James, there is no Minister right now-"

"I mean ours, Kingsley! He was a part of the Order, remember? That's how dad met him." he opened his eyes and grabbed his brother's sleeve, tugging on it as if to emphasize his point. "Al, this is crucial. Find him and make sure he never sets Goyle free."

"But how?"

"Tell him the truth, make him understand how dangerous setting Goyle free would be-"

"But wouldn't that make me reveal the future? If I say Goyle ends up in Azkaban, he'll understand the good guys win the war! And I thought we weren't supposed to-"

"But if Goyle is never set free, none of us will come here at all! It's like a loop, see? A time loop. If Goyle stays in jail, we don't come here at all and Kingsley never learns anything about the future. Man, my head hurts…"

Al straightened up slowly. Ok, so the plan made sense, but it was also far-fetched as hell. Plus, leaving Rose, Scorpius and James alone here didn't exactly feel right…

"But what about you guys?"

"If you manage to convince Kingsley, everything will be deleted. None of us will even be here in the first place." James glanced at him. "Please tell me your tiny pea of a brain understands the logic behind this, Severus."

"Right, I'm going," Al muttered, getting to his feet and walking over to the fireplace. "Stay put, ok? Scorp and Rose should be back soon."

"And I really wanted to go for a jog right this minute. Oh, Albus, what a downfall!" James drawled, his brother gritting his teeth, trying to remind himself that strangling the red headed boy would in no way help his condition

"Hey, Al?" James called over as he reached into the flowerpot for some Floo powder.

"Yeah?" Al turned back to look at him.

"You're kind of covered in blood."

"Huh," Al muttered, looking down at the front of his shirt, which was indeed soaked and bloody. "Shit."

"Take my jacket," James managed a small grin, his freckles much too visible against his pale skin, and motioned to where he'd thrown the piece of clothing a couple of minutes ago. Al grabbed it from the floor and buttoned it up to hide the gory mess that his favourite grey shirt had become.

"Thanks."

"I'm sorry about the stuff I said yesterday." James said awkwardly. Al nodded slowly, stepping into the green flames that Rose had lighted what felt like hours ago.

"See you in twenty five years, Al. Be careful," James added as Al threw the grey dust at his feet and a man with greasy black hair threw the door open.

"The Burrow!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Albus carefully stepped out from the fireplace and into the deserted living room, readjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. The Burrow. His lips stretched into a wry grin as he leaned against the mantle to catch his breath, drawing his wand from his jeans' back pocket and stared around himself in amusement.

It was like being home again. The battered-looking pieces of furniture, the worn-out wallpaper, the old clock by the ageless leather couch… only the family pictures sitting on the fireplace from which he'd just exited had been updated in his time. In his head, he could almost hear Fred's "_I knew this room was a thousand years old!_" and see Roxy nod in total agreement. Well, it was sure that the expedition would have been way more fun had the cousins all been there.

The thought brought back the image of James, lying on a stony floor with his head pouring blood, and Al straightened up at once, realizing he had a job to do. Find Kingsley. Convince him never to let Goyle out of Azkaban. And then wait for the complete rewind James had promised him.

He took a few steps towards the kitchen, questions swirling inside his mind. Where would he find the future Minister of Magic? Roaming the Burrow didn't seem like the brightest of ideas at the moment, considering the way he looked and all, but he didn't really have another choice. Turns out, though, he didn't have to choose at all.

A large hand suddenly closed around his wrist, another grabbed his neck and two wands poked him threateningly in the back in perfect synchronisation.

"Drop the wand," a low voice rasped from behind him. Al stopped breathing, his heart drumming wildly in his chest.

"Or would you like us to make you?" another low voice added on his other side and he gulped.

"Wait," he started, gripping his wand harder. "I'm not-"

But he was cut off by the sudden arrival of his mum in front of him. His eyes felt like they were popping out of his head. Ginny was wearing denim shorts, a V-neck sweater, and she looked so much like a red-headed version of his little sister that it took all of Al's will-power not to lose his countenance and let his mouth drop open at the sight of her. Putting one hand on her hip, she pouted at him, or rather at the people holding him from behind.

"Told you he'd come by Floo," one of the men laughed, his wand jabbing Albus' back and making him wince.

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny answered, eyeing Al carefully. Her wand twirled menacingly in her right hand. "Lupin wasn't kidding; look at his eyes. Exactly the same. Wonder how they managed it." Lifting her arm suddenly, she aimed the thin piece of wood straight at Al's chest. "George, go get the others."

He felt one of the men release him and tried to jerk out of the other's hold; the grip on his throat tightened, almost cutting off his air.

"I don't think so," the voice growled in ear. Al sent a desperate look towards his mother, realizing what was going to happen to him all of the sudden.

"Wait," he struggled to speak, "I can explain-"

"His voice too," Ginny cut him off, her eyes blazing, looking madder than he'd ever seen her before; and he knew what would happen to him even before she opened her mouth to say the incantation.

"Mum-"

"Stupefy!" she yelled, and the room spun once before everything went black.

oOo

Al woke up curled on the hard wooden floor and unable to see a bloody thing. He tried not to move and listened to the multitude of voices swirling around him, keeping his eyes shut, still disoriented. Finally, though, annoyed at his inability to associate voices to people, he carefully sat up, feeling the wall near his head and tracing it with his hand to get his bearings. He leaned heavily against it, realizing he'd been carried to some sort of corner (probably in the living room) and raised a hand to his forehead to push black strands of hair back. His fingers met with a thick liquid, and drawing his hand back, he was able to distinguish, despite his blurry vision, that blood was coating his fingers once more. The cuts on his cheek were bleeding again. Sighing, he leaned his head back against the panel, sleepiness weighing him down, and waited for someone to say something, anything, for all the voices had quieted as soon as he'd started stirring.

"Here," an unknown (and yet, it was somewhat familiar and Al felt like he should recognize it) voice said, and his glasses were back in his hand once more.

"Thanks," he muttered, and putting them on, blinked wildly at his surroundings. He was indeed sitting in one of the living room's corners, opposite the fireplace; the couch had been reoriented to face him and it seemed that the entire resistance movement was currently standing above him and watching him curiously. The living room was crowded; all of his Uncles, save for Percy and Charlie, were there; his mum and Aunts Fleur and Hermione as well; his grandparents, Teddy's dad and a woman who must have been Teddy's mum; a younger version of Hagrid… but no Kingsley, and Albus felt his heart sink at the realization.

Shifting his gaze to the person crouching in front of him, Al found himself facing his very young-looking father. His eyes widened as he drank his features in; it's true that he did resemble him quite a bit. And it might sound strange, but the mere sight of his father made Albus feel easier all of the sudden; Harry Potter always made everything better, didn't he? If Al's father were here, then, surely, everything would soon be set right. Al had to force himself to remember, that for the very first time in his life, his dad would be of no help to him. He swallowed, his throat dry. Harry stared back at his son, looking curious despite himself.

"Thanks," Al repeated slowly, straightening his stance against the wall and shifting away from his gaze.

"You're welcome," his dad replied, getting up and moving back towards where Ron, Hermione and Ginny were standing, staring down at Albus defiantly, their arms crossed against their chests.

Feeling uneasy under all of the room's gazes, Al rubbed his forehead tiredly, cursing his brother inwardly. This stupid plan was never going to work. They would never get back home. And he just felt _so_ bloody tired.

Lupin took a step towards him, Al's grandfather coming a bit closer as well. Al stared at the pair of them wearily. How long had it been since he'd last eaten?

"Who are you?" Lupin asked him; Al raised an eyebrow.

"We met earlier today. You know who I am."

"You told me a lie," Lupin barked.

"No, I didn't." Al muttered back, frowning. "Bring back some truth serum if you don't believe me."

"You have obviously found a way to deceive the Veritaserum." Arthur started, his voice softer than Lupin's, but not anywhere near kind either. "We want to know your real identity."

"I told you the truth before."

"Albus Severus Potter!" Lupin shot back, sarcasm coating every word. Al tipped back an imaginary hat.

"At your service."

There were a few minutes of shocked silence. Thinking that perhaps he'd muted them forever, Al closed his eyes, wondering if they'd let him sleep if he were to ask them. He felt like he was sitting on a boat's deck; couldn't anyone else feel the slight rocking of the wooden floor beneath them?

"You called me "mum"," Ginny's voice brought him back to reality. Opening his eyes, he watched her angry expression and hesitated.

"Yes, I did. That was pretty stupid of me. Please don't tell Rose." He murmured before yawning and leaning his head back against the wall. "I'll sleep a bit now, if you don't mind," he whispered drowsily, letting his lids drop. Warm fingers pressed on the inside of his wrist, though he couldn't be sure why. He felt like he was floating. Familiar voices were rising all around him again, enveloping him, making him feel safe. Was he home now?

"I'd love some mushroom soup, granny, thanks," he murmured, the short silence following that simple enough statement puzzling him, but only for a few seconds, before the dark engulfed him once more.

oOo

His fingers clutched the soft, leathery surface he was lying on; with a gasp, he opened his eyes and stared around him in bewilderment. The room he was in was very familiar but somewhat… wrong. And deserted, which was highly unusual. The Burrow was always crowded with a multitude of familiar faces and bright ginger hair… where was everybody?

"James?" he called hesitantly, sitting up on the couch, running a shaky hand in his hair. "Rose? Lils? Anyone?"

At the sound of his voice, his father sprung from a chair that had been facing away from the couch, and Al did a double take at the sight of him. Just like the living room, his dad looked very, very wrong. The creases near his eyes were gone, and his hair was jet-black, no trace of white in it, just like Al and Lily's.

And that's when it all came back to him. He clamped his mouth shut.

His father stared at him silently, scratching the back of his head. Someone entered the room in Al's peripheral vision but his eyes were locked on his father, and he didn't turn to see who it was.

"Mrs Weasley is making you some kind of snack." Harry spoke up slowly. "She said you looked much too skinny to be healthy." Al raised an eyebrow at the name. Since when did his father call anyone "Mrs Weasley"?

"You mean…" Al hesitated. "Molly Weasley?"

Harry looked surprised. "Course. Are there any other Mrs Weasleys?"

_You'd be surprised_, Al thought to himself, his fingers playing with some loose string on his jacket's sleeve. Harry started to say something else, but he was cut off by Lupin and Al's grandfather as they entered the room, Ginny following behind them slowly. Here we go again, thought Al gloomily, as Lupin sat on a chair facing the couch, but before he could start with the interrogation, Al's grandmother strode in.

"No, certainly not," she called in a clear, loud voice, making everyone in the living room jump.

"Molly," Arthur started, his voice worn-out.

"No, Arthur! You will not ask this poor boy anything before he's had something to eat; I forbid it. Here you go, sweety," she smiled as she hand Al a slice of pumpkin pie, straight from the oven. "Eat up." Al stared at her, utterly bemused.

"Molly," Lupin tried again.

"Back off, Remus, if you know what's good for you. It just so happens that I believe the boy's story, and I am not letting you bully him any longer."

"Mum," Ginny spoke up, her eyes blazing. "You can't honestly-"

"Stop right there, young lady-"

"He told Lupin he was here to make sure Harry never kills You-Know-Who! He's a Death Eater, mum! I know you dream of having _grandchildren_" she spit the word out through gritted teeth, "but this is utterly ridiculous!"

"I'm not here to make sure Voldemort doesn't get killed!" Al shouted over his grandmother's comeback.

"And yet you said this under Veritaserum influence," Lupin narrowed his eyes at him.

"And I also told you my real name, although you refuse to believe that particular part!"

"Because it's completely puzzling!" Ginny yelled at him. "You can't be Harry's offspring and try to protect You-Know-Who! It doesn't make any sense! So you must be a Death Eater sent here to destroy our future; it's the only possible explanation!"

"How about we just let him explain?" Harry said suddenly, stopping the others from charging at him again. His expression was curious, and, along with Molly, he was the only one in the room who wasn't staring at Al in guarded suspicion. "Albus, is it?"

Al nodded mutely. Harry made a small gesture with his hand, as if telling him to proceed. Al hesitated, but James' words came back to him, and he realized that everything he was to say here would be forgotten anyway, as soon as he convinced Kingsley never to let Goyle out of Azkaban. Fred and George, Ron and Hermione suddenly appeared in the room as well. He took a deep breath, trying not to let the extra audience frazzle him, and wondered where the hell he was supposed to start with the story of his life. He decided to make it short.

"Ok, here we go." He started slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on his shoes for the duration of the whole speech. "My name's Al and I'm in my sixth year at Hogwarts. Oh, and by the way, this is the year 2022. One night, this guy, Gregory Goyle, is released from Azkaban because people realize he's regretting his past actions. A couple of days later, my friend Scorpius tells Rose and I that his father has arranged for him to meet with Goyle in the clock tower around midnight; only the guy talks like he's off his rocker and keeps saying that he has a grand plan to bring Voldemort back. Scorp is scared to go alone, so me and Rose go with him; Goyle, who doesn't know the two of us are here because we're hiding under my dad's cloak, tells Scorpius to save Voldemort and throws a time turner at our feet, yelling some sort of spell. The three of us wake up in the clock tower in June 1997, we go to McGonagall for help to get back to our own time, and I guess Lupin's told you the rest."

"You told me," Lupin said, his voice low, "that you had be sent here to make sure Voldemort is never defeated. You said this under Veritaserum!"

"And it's the truth, isn't it?" Al shot back, exasperated. "I never said it was what the three of us intended to do, though!"

"You do realize how far-fetched this is, right?" one of the twins said, sceptical.

"Plus, you stunned McGonagall and Remus right after saying it, didn't you? Doesn't that prove you're guilty?" the other added.

"Rose and Scorp panicked when I told you that," Al replied, locking eyes with Lupin. "They stunned you, apparently because you looked just about ready to stun them. I don't deny that it was probably the stupidest thing these two nerds have ever done, but you've got to admit that it was sort of justified…"

"Who's Rose?" Hermione suddenly asked. "You keep talking about her."

"Oh," Al made a real effort not to roll his eyes at the totally clueless and soon-to-be couple. "She's my cousin."

"So what happened after that?" Ron asked, looking curious. He met Ginny's gaze and quickly added: "Not that I believe you or anything."

Al sighed. "We went to hide into a broom closet to figure out how to get home without altering the future – because, believe it or not, we don't actually want Voldemort to survive. I mean, taking into account my family tree, it would make my chances of ever existing pretty thin, wouldn't you agree?" When nobody did, he went on: "The best plan we came up with was to go to Snape for help. I mean, Rose was all for coming here and telling you everything, but seeing the friendly reception that I came face to face with, I'm glad we didn't listen to her then. However, while going to Snape's office, we met up with James, and by the way, I still haven't got the slightest idea as to how he managed to come here as well. The Carrows were chasing him, he got hurt, told me I had to come here to solve everything by convincing you never to let Goyle get released from Azkaban. He said that, this way, everything that had happened because of this git would be deleted, and that the four of us would never have come here in the first place. Basically, that it would set everything right. So here I am."

"I don't believe you," Ginny snapped.

"Big surprise there," Al shot back in exasperation; looking around himself at the others, however, he realized that it didn't look like many people actually believed his story: everywhere he looked, suspicion was written blankly on every face. His palms started sweating.

"I'm telling you the truth," he whispered. "You have to believe me. Please. It's our only chance at getting back home."

He glanced at his father, who for the first time, was leaning away from him, his expression guarded. His heart sank.

"I _am_ your kid," he told him, and Harry looked startled. "Your second son, actually. Yours too, by the way," he added in Ginny's direction; she scowled at him. "Just ask me anything. I'll prove it."

Harry stayed silent, the rest of them as well.

"Who's James?" Molly finally asked hesitatingly.

oOo

_**Sorry to anyone who requested more Snape action; I just hadn't planned for the story to go that way at all. Please tell me what you think! Only one more chapter to go….**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Let me guess," Ginny answered before Al could, voice dripping in sarcasm. "James is Harry's first-born son. Chances are he even has a daughter named Lily and a dog called Sirius. Am I right?"

"I fail to see the fun in that. Is my naming my kids after my deceased parents amusing to you?" Al's father turned his stern gaze on Ginny, who looked startled and bit down on her lower lip.

"No," she replied quickly, reddening. "I-"

"Plus, Gin, keep in mind that Potter offspring here has called you mum twice since arriving here-" Fred smirked, draping an arm over his little sister's shoulders.

"Yeah, the way things are currently looking, those kids are going to be yours as well, Gin." George added, mirroring Fred's attitude on Ginny's other side. She shook the two of them off, blushing deeply, as Ron looked absolutely stricken.

"What in Merlin's name is that supposed to mean?" he gasped, but Hermione flicked his ear to shut him up.

"Harry," Ginny started again, embarrassed. "I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," Harry cut her off, smiling lightly. "I know you didn't."

"Because it's perfectly fine." She added hastily. "James and Lily… they're beautiful names, really. I mean… it'd be a good choice, if you ever have children."

"Oh," he looked a bit uncomfortable now. "Yeah. Thanks."

Al held his breath, staring interestingly at the scene unfolding before his eyes; Uncle Ron had told him his parents had gotten together right after the war, but it was now obvious that they had been having feelings for one another way before that. And his mum was only his own age right now. He'd never thought about them this way before – teens, just like him, not really understanding what the hell was going on around them. He cast a look towards his grandmother who was smiling knowingly, just like Hermione. Lupin was staring at Harry, eyebrows raised, Arthur's surprised air mirroring his. Ron ruined the moment by snorting loudly in the silence that had fallen over the room.

"Are my best friend and little sister actually discussing baby names? Somebody kill me!"

"Ronald," Hermione sighed as George hit him behind the head roughly. Al spoke up again hesitantly, answering his grandmother's previous question.

"James' my older brother. And I actually do have a sister named Lily." His parents turned their gazes on him and he slowly smiled at them, more than a little relieved when, after a second's hesitation, they returned the small grin. "She's fourteen."

"Any more siblings you feel we should know about?" Fred joked, hitting his little brother on the shoulder. "Did little Ronniekins procreate?" Hermione turned a very interesting (and alarming) shade of red and Al answered quickly:

"No more brothers or sisters. But, um," he did a quick count in his head, "ten cousins, if you count Teddy. And, uh, yes he did."

"I think I need to sit down," Molly gasped, and Lupin shot out from his seat to offer her the fluffy armchair; she collapsed in it, her face lit up in amazement.

"Let's not get carried away," Arthur spoke up for the first time, his expression guarded, his gaze never leaving Albus. "We have no way of knowing the boy is telling us the truth."

"I have proof!" Al shot up from where he was sitting on the couch, an idea suddenly dawning unto him. "I had my dad's cloak with me when we – wait," he countered, reaching hastily into the back pocket of his jeans, and finding it… empty. Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"The cloak," Al muttered to himself, "where did I-" And then, almost as though he was watching the scene from an outsider's point of view, he distinctly saw himself take the cloak out from where he'd put it under his shirt, rolling it up and sticking it under James' injured head as a pillow. He groaned in frustration, rubbing the bridge of his nose. _Stupid_, he cursed himself silently. _Nice move Al, perfect, that's just perfect…_

"Ok, so I don't have the cloak," he muttered, keeping his eyes closed, unable to face his mum and dad's disappointed expressions. Absentmindedly, he reached into his – James' – jacket pockets, pulling out an unopened chocolate frog and his brother's old, worn-out wallet, as well as some candy wrappers. Useless. No Marauder's Map, no flyer from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, nothing that would be able to back up his wild claims. Al sighed, and warily faced the people in the room once more; distrust had come back on every single face. He opened his mouth and closed it again.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered, wishing he could just make something appear that would be able to convince them all. "I just… I don't have any proof. But that doesn't mean I'm lying."

"He's telling the truth," Harry agreed decidedly, crossing the room and standing directly next to Al. They were the exact same height. "I'm certain of it."

"Not to upset you, Harry, but you have misjudged people before. Wouldn't you agree that you tend to believe in people a bit more than they usually deserve?" That was a low blow, Albus noted, as his father blushed lightly under Lupin's stern gaze. Still, he stood up straighter, put a hand on Albus' shoulder and answered clearly:

"He's my son – or, at least, he will be. I'm sure of it."

"How?" Lupin retorted.

"The names," Harry answered simply. "Obviously." Lupin exhaled slowly.

"Any Death Eater would've have known that you were planning on naming your children after your parents, Harry."

"Yeah, it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure this one out, mate," Ron added from the other side of the room. Harry frowned.

"But his name too, Dumbledore's." Upon seeing Ron's expression, he quickly added, "Not that I planned on doing this or anything… but it makes sense, I think."

"It does." Ginny agreed, taking a tiny step forward. "It sounds right."

Al allowed himself to feel just a bit hopeful, before Fred completely shattered the feeling.

"Well, what about the Severus part?" he asked, sounding honestly curious. "Doesn't make much sense to me."

Harry hesitated and shared a look with Ginny.

"I don't really know about that part," he admitted slowly and Al felt his heart sink. If only he could explain the entire story to them… but they'd never believe him anyway.

"Stupid name," he agreed as the room lapsed into uncomfortable silence. "You could've just called me Sirius. Everyone was kind of expecting it, too." Absentmindedly, he started to play with the chocolate frog that was still clutched into his right fist, fidgeting with the wrapper.

"I wonder…" he whispered to himself, as if suddenly realizing what it was he was holding. He sensed the dumbfounded stares everyone was shooting him, but ignored them, and carefully opened the piece of candy, his heart beating wildly, the blood pounding in his ears, muting off every other sound, even as his dad asked him what was going on in a worried tone. His shaking hands pulled the wrapper off, and he threw the chocolate to the side, staring intently at what he was holding in his hands. His dad craned his neck to see it too, and his mouth dropped open with an audible popping noise. Al laughed out loud, making everyone else in the room jump, and handed the golden card to Lupin, his smile widening at the wizard's shocked expression.

"It's all luck, really. But if that's not solid proof, then I don't know what is."

Ron, Hermione, Arthur, the twins and Ginny all moved as a single person to stand directly behind Lupin to see what he was holding. Molly stayed in the armchair, her eyes twinkling knowingly, and Harry didn't leave his spot at his son's side. From where he was standing, Al could still read the famous wizard card Lupin was gazing down at, his expression unreadable, despite the fact that it was upside down.

**Harry James Potter**, _born_ _July 31st 1980_

"The Boy Who Lived" and later "The Chosen One"

Defeated You-Know-Who at the Battle of Hogwarts (May 2nd 1998)

Head of the Auror Department, currently lives with his wife and three children in Godric's Hollow

The picture showed Al's dad smiling slightly, his head cocked to the side as if he was intently listening to someone talking. He wore the same glasses as always, but there was something knowing in his gaze, creases near his eyes and a bit of white in his dark hair that was, though hardly striking, absolutely unmistakable. Solid proof, as Al had said.

Meeting his dad's gaze, he smiled at him, and Harry put a hand on his shoulder again, squeezing it. Ginny's hand flew to her lips and she raised her head to stare at the two of them, blinking rapidly. The others were looking at him too, but Al was entirely focused on Lupin, waiting apprehensively for his reaction; because, remembering the numerous war stories, he knew how close Teddy's dad had been to Kingsley Shacklebolt. If his grandfather's old friend believed his story, surely he would take it upon himself to convince the future Ministry of Magic as well; if Lupin was convinced, then everything would be set right and Al and his siblings could go back home. So, biting the inside of his mouth, his father's grip weighing down reassuringly on his shoulder, his mother staring at him from across the room in amazement, Albus waited for Remus Lupin's reaction.

oOo

The door of the dorm flew open and Al almost fell off his bed in surprise.

"Al!" a voice hissed from the darkness. Scorpius groaned and shifted in his bed on the other side of the small room. Al blinked, disoriented, and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, shoving them up the bridge of his nose. Finally able to see, he actually did a double take as his eyes fell upon… his brother, hair sticking up everywhere, breathing heavily like he'd just run a marathon, standing right beside his bed and looking down at him with wild eyes.

"James?" Al muttered wearily, pushing the covers aside and sitting up. "What are you-"

"Are you alright?" James interrupted him, his eyes scanning his face, hands roaming over the bed as if he was trying to fix something. "Are you okay, Al?"

"I'm fine," Al answered, puzzled, his brother's unusual attitude waking him up more efficiently than any alarm clock ever could. "What's the matter with you?"

"Something was wrong." James started rambling. "Someone tried to hurt you, it was all my fault, I tried to fix it. I thought you were hurt, I was worried – are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course I am!" Al hissed, exasperated, as David muttered something in his sleep. "And keep your voice down! Are you sleepwalking or something?"

"No!"

"You had a bad dream," Al whispered, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "I can assure you that I'm perfectly fine, apart from exhausted that is, although I do have a perfect remedy to that. Could you just get out?"

James straightened up as though Al had just hit him and shoved his hands in his pyjama's pockets, embarrassed.

"Right. I'm sorry about before."

"About before?" Al repeated uncomprehendingly, trying to make out the expression on James' face in the darkness; his brother almost sounded like he was drunk.

"I did something bad, didn't I? I really feel like I should apologize."

Al groaned and got up groggily.

"James, you're not making any sense, and I'm not sure you're even awake. Just come on, before you wake up half the dorm." Grabbing his brother under the elbow, he steered him towards the door and started shoving him up the stairs to his own dorm.

"I can't believe you just barged in like that. What the hell were you thinking? It's three bloody AM, and I have a Potion's test tomorrow. I'll never be able to get any sleep now and Rose will be on my case for months for copying off her and Scorp's answers. I'll be more likely to fall asleep on my broom that to catch the Snitch on Tuesday; you'll have the Slytherins' victory weighing on your conscious for the rest of your life. God, I hate you," he muttered all the while.

"Do you really?" James interrupted him, staring down at him with clear eyes (so, he was awake after all), and coming to a full stop on the staircase. Al raised an eyebrow at the strange question.

"'Course not." he answered without even thinking. "You're an annoying prick, and 50% of the time I'm around you I want push you off a cliff or throttle you, but you're still my brother." James nodded to himself.

"I may be annoying," he said slowly, "but I do care. You know?"

"Sure," Al answered, although he wasn't sure he did; but something in his head was convinced of it, crazy as that sounded. "I know. And you barging into my room in the middle of the night, thinking I was hurt and wanting to help, pretty much backed it up too, however pathetic it was."

"Right," James smirked. "If you ever bring that stupid moment up again when Fred's around, I'll deny it vehemently."

"Dully noted."

"G'dnight Severus." James added slyly, and before Al could even consider hitting him, he had dashed up the stairs without a backward glance.

"Idiot," Al muttered, running a hand through his hair and starting to make his way back to his own bed, before he spotted something on the ground which stopped him. Raising an eyebrow, he picked up the small golden card and stared at it, squinting to make it out in the darkness.

It was a famous wizard card; Fred and Roxy were always handing chocolate frogs around to the Gryffindors, since they always came back from vacations with luggage full of candy, so it wasn't that surprising that somebody should have dropped the card. Plus, it wasn't like anybody would keep it to add to his or her private collection, as it was one of the most common ones.

Al gave an eye-roll in the darkness. Figures. It was his dad.

A startling image suddenly came back to him. A shaggy-looking Teddy, with circles under his eyes, raising his head, eyes wide, and murmuring a thundering "_impossible_". And then spinning, disorientation, darkness. A cold spot on his shoulder where something reassuring should have been.

Al mentally shook himself and looked down at the card again. There was something there, at the edge of his memory, but right now, he couldn't possibly care less. Tomorrow would be hard enough without strange visions distracting him; he was going to have to find some way to copy off Rose's answers without her noticing during the Potions' test. He could always ask James or Roxy for advice, as this was their field of expertise. And then there would be the game on Tuesday… Maybe Lily would have some time to practise with him before breakfast tomorrow.

Absentmindedly, a small grin on his face, Al slipped the card into his pyjama's pocket and made his way back to his dorm.

The End

Yay, I actually finished a story! Applause, applause!

This is such a big accomplishment that it deserves at least five reviews!


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